Duke, UNC sponsor peace research

Six Rotary World Peace Scholars from six different countries have continued collaborations this fall between UNC and Duke University to build world peace through international cooperation and conflict resolution.

Rotary International, a philanthropic organization devoted to world peace and conflict resolution, funds the UNC-Duke Rotary Center for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution.

The scholars are mid-career professionals devoted to peacemaking and now will pursue a two-year master's-level degree in fields related to its goal.

"It is the first time that I know of people coming together and seeking world peace in an organized manner," said Josephus Tenga, a Peace Scholar from Sierra Leone who is enrolled at Duke.

Up to 70 Rotary World Peace Scholars are selected each year to attend one of the universities that house the seven Rotary Centers worldwide, according to the Rotary International Web site.

Participating scholars said they have benefited from the rich diversity of the program.

Zazil Romero Echavarria, a Mexican student enrolled at Duke, said the biggest advantage of the program is that the scholars get to share experiences with their peers.

The World Peace Scholarship Program goes back three to four years, when universities across the nation were asked to host the Rotary Center, said Francis Lethem, co-director of the Duke-UNC Rotary Center and director of Duke's graduate Program in International Development Policy.

UNC and Duke had a successful bid; it was the only joint bid and the only one that proposed a program on conflict resolution between archrivals.

The center is hosted by UNC's University Center for International Studies and the Duke Center for International Development. It is one of two in the United States - the second is hosted by the University of California-Berkeley.

Lethem said the UNC-Duke program focuses not only on conflict resolution, but also on peace and conflict prevention, sustainable development and the need for harmonious, balanced resource management.

Niklaus Steiner, executive director of UCIS and a board member of the Rotary Center, said that internationalization is one of the six priorities highlighted in UNC's Academic Plan and that the Rotary program serves as an important engine in the direction of that goal.

Diana Manevskaya, a student from the Republic of Belarus enrolled in UNC's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said the program provides the scholars with opportunities that enable them to make more meaningful contributions to society.

"The education gives us new knowledge," Manevskaya said. "We don't learn abstract things. We learn with real case studies such as the situation in Iraq and Sudan."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.