Saturday, December 12, 2009

Peace Studies in BHU acquires global face

Varanasi, December 10, 2009: Peace Studies in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is acquiring a global face under the inspirational leadership of Vice Chancellor DP Singh. It is under his motivation the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research (MCPR) has in recent months entered into several significant agreements to promote a constant flow of scholars and researchers to undertake teaching and research in the area of peace and conflict resolution.

While the United States–India Foundation in India has instituted a Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Professorship at MCPR, the UN Mandated University of Peace, Costa Rica (UPeace) has joined hands with the MCPR to co-teach a new Masters Degree course on Conflict Management and Development. Upeace is also offering advance training to the faculty and researchers of MCPR in such path breaking areas as ‘Environment and Peace” and “Media and Peace-building”.

The Malaviya Centre for Peace Research has recently collaborated with the Cultural Unit of UNESCO, New Delhi on the study of linkages between the safeguarding of intangible heritage and the maintenance of communal harmony in Varanasi. The UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding at BHU is also much on anvil.

The Malaviya Centre for Peace Research also has a successful track in having functional collaborations with many other foreign universities including the Karlstad University, Sweden, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA, Peace and Justice Program, Wellesley College, Massachusetts, U.S.A and the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden.

Expanding this framework of international collaboration, Professor DP Singh, Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University visited Oslo at the invite of the prestigious International Peace Research Institute (PRIO) from December 5-7. The PRIO represents the hub of peace building synergy within Norway–a country which prides itself for hosting Noble Peace Prize.

Professor Singh’s visit in fact precedes the Nobel Peace Prize speech by President Barrack Obama on December 10. Professor Singh held several meetings with the PRIO Director and researchers, officials of Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Indian Ambassador in Norway and Dan Banik, Director of the Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo to finalize the cooperation document which entails the signing of a formal MoU between BHU and PRIO very soon.

This agreement would lead to an institutional collaboration between the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research (MCPR) and PRIO and greatly expand the agenda of peace education and research in India. This historic coming together has taken place after a series of meetings between the faculty of MCPR and PRIO.

The collaboration process was initiated during the meeting of the PRIO Director Kristian Berg Harpviken with the Vice Chancellor BHU in April 2009. This initiative was followed up through the visit of Prof Priyankar Upadhyaya, Coordinator MCPR to Oslo and the subsequent visit of senior PRIO researchers to BHU just a fortnight ago.

The research components of the cooperation document agreed by the Vice Chancellor of BHU and the Director of PRIO entails an institutional partnership to generate new knowledge and expertise around two major themes including diversity, peace building and development and Indian discourses of non-violence.

The MoU will involve scholarly exchange between MCPR in BHU and PRIO in Oslo and would pave the way for joint research projects to generate policy oriented knowledge and insights on issues of conflict and development. Banaras Hindu University is the first Indian university to develop such practical collaboration with PRIO which is globally reputed to be one of the finest research institutes on peace research.

Source: PPP Cell-BHU

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