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PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ONLY AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR PEACE

Melissa Wild Having spent my career in cross-cultural and cross-sectoral spaces, building and facilitating peace programs - be it intergroup dialogue, youth engagement or educational programs -, and having worked as a community mediator for the last five years as well, I have witnessed the enormous amount of creativity and innovation both required to build peace programs as well as to resolve and transform conflicts. Sometimes, such creativity and innovation can get lost when

What if all high school students emerged as changemakers equipped to build a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future? Young Leaders for Peace (YLP) exists to imagine just that. YLP launched in June 2025 at the University for Peace (UPEACE) in San José, Costa Rica, as a two-week summer experience that equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to lead efforts for peace in their communities and beyond. Co-founded by two high school students motiva

What if all high school students emerged as changemakers equipped to build a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future? Young Leaders for Peace (YLP) imagines exactly that: a world where young people lead with collaboration and peacebuilding at their core. Hosted at the University for Peace (UPEACE) headquarters in San José, Costa Rica, YLP is a transformative two-week summer program designed to cultivate the knowledge, skills, and values youth need to become leaders of pea

On December 5, 1980, the General Assembly voted to establish the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica. The purpose of UPEACE is best described in resolution 35/55 as an "Institution for post-graduate studies, research and dissemination of knowledge specifically aimed at training for peace…” With UPEACE originating from the United Nations, it is safe to say that UPEACE, in some ways, is the life form of the UN charter. For example, articles 11 and 14 explicitly discuss

Message from Annalena Baerbock, the President of the General Assembly On the occasion of UPEACE’s forty fifth anniversary, the President of the General Assembly highlighted the University’s enduring role as an institution created by the United Nations to prepare the next generation of peace leaders. She emphasized that UPEACE has helped advance a vital understanding: peace is not an abstract ideal, but a daily practice grounded in courage, cooperation, and a commitment to our

In 1980, pursuant to the United Nations Resolution 35/55, the University for Peace (UPEACE) was established. Through those UPEACE graduates now placed in leadership positions around the world, both within and outside the UN system, UPEACE delivers the critical skills and education needed to ensure our global community is moving toward a more just and sustainable future for people and planet. Following the 45th anniversary of the establishment of its institution, the Universit

Recently, Executive Directors Cleo Barnett, of Amplifier Art, and Melissa Wild, of UPEACE NY, gathered a group of women, parents and their children, to learn about the Peace is a Practice Global Arts Campaign. College Prep 360 Founder & CEO Joie Jager-Hyman (a friend and supporter of UPEACE NY) said it best: art embraces complexity! This is what makes art such a perfect vehicle for sharing and expressing the skills and knowledge of peace. For this month's reflection, UPEACE N

United Nations at 80: The University for Peace was established pursuant to United Nations Resolution 35/55, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980. As the UN turns 80, we reflect on its legacy of advancing peace, justice, and cooperation across the globe. As the only university in the world with an explicit and central focus on peace, and the only university whose establishment was created pursuant to a UN resolution, UPEACE is an important testament to the vi

From Capital to Peace: Insights from the Global Center for Peace Innovation bi-monthly Webinar. As the final webinar of 2025 organized by the Global Center for Peace Innovation, the most recent UPEACE dialogue encouraged the exploration of the growing use of innovative finance in situations of uncertainty and declining traditional sources of funding for peacebuilding. In conversation with UPEACE NY Executive Director Melissa Wild, Heather McGee, the Chief Executive Officer