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As we begin a new year, we reflect on the lessons carried forward and look ahead to the work, conversations, and collaborations that will shape the months to come. In case you missed it: UPEACE NY and Amplifier Art at the UN! UPEACE NY and Amplifier Art started off the year with a visit to the United Nations to begin plans for an art installation as part of our Peace is a Practice Global Arts Campaign! More to come on this exciting initiative. If you'd like to get involved, r

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 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 shared humanity. U

In case you missed it: Young Leaders for Peace Publication Discover our newest feature on the Peace Leadership Collaborative platform, spotlighting Young Leaders for Peace and its vision for reimagining youth leadership. The article follows this year’s cohort through a transformative two week experience at the University for Peace, where students explore peace as a lived practice through experiential learning, mindful reflection, and hands on engagement with Costa Rican commu

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

Exciting News: Applications for Young Leaders for Peace 2026 Are Now Open! This month we are pleased to highlight Young Leaders for Peace (YLP), our two-week summer leadership programme co-created with the University for Peace in Costa Rica. YLP offers high school students an immersive experience where they explore the foundations of peace, develop practical communication and leadership skills, and learn through hands-on activities in Costa Rica.Through workshops with UPEACE

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

In case you missed it: UPEACE at UNGA 80 This year’s UNGA opens with music. A youth choir singing out for peace. Despite all the violence and defunding peacework, the message has been clear: the UN matters. As the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, put it: “for 80 years, this building has stood as a monument to our shared hopes for a better future.” UPEACE Permanent Observer Mission to the UN Special Advisor Melissa Wild was in attendance, representing for

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

In case you missed it: Ambassador Ramu Damodaran Appointed as Permanent Observer As of April 2024, Ramu Damodaran has been serving as the Permanent Observer of the University for Peace to the United Nations. His official appointment was memorialized in a high-level meeting with Vice Rector Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo and UN Secretary-General Guterres in the UN Secretary-General’s office. They discussed the importance of the UPEACE Mission to the UN and in implementation of peace

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