Monday, November 26, 2012

Rutgers' International Institute for Peace: a UNESCO Category II Institute

The International Institute for Peace at Rutgers University (IIP) was approved last year to become the second UNESCO Category II institute in the United States.

The IIP was co-founded in May 2011 by Forest Whitaker, Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, and Aldo Civico, a Rutgers University anthropologist and expert in conflict resolution. The IIP’s activities are wide-ranging: it will offer graduate-level degrees in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies, promote research on cutting-edge issues relating to peace-building, and participate in real-life mediations of communities in conflict. Further, the IIP brings a unique expertise in addressing the violent conflicts that take place in cities, particularly among youth and gangs. Harnessing the talents and experience of filmmaker Forest Whitaker, the Institute will also seek to document conflict all over the world, providing people with an outlet to share their own stories of conflict and peace. The resulting documentaries shall raise awareness and, hopefully, instigate change.

From the signing ceremony in Paris.
Forest Whitaker, Ambassador David Killion, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and  Aldo Civico

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