UPEACE Centre The Hague chairman teaches campus students on UN

UPEACE students of the Class of 2019 were treated to a special guest at the university campus in the first weeks of their study year. Chairman Robert Serry of UPEACE Centre The Hague joined them during the month of October for a course on the United Nations.

Chairman Robert Serry of UPEACE Centre The Hague giving a UN course to students at the UPEACE campus in Costa Rica.

As a “visiting professor”, Serry gave a series of seven plenary courses on the UN system, drawing on his work as a high UN official, a.o. in the Middle East peace process in 2008-2015. “It was a very enriching experience for me to share my own practical knowledge on the UN with this student audience.”

Serry focused on the UN’s responsibility for peace and security, which rests with the UN Security Council, and on the difficulty for the Council to fulfill this task. The increasing use of veto’s by Council members – almost as much as during the period of the Cold War – risks jeopardising the delivery of humanitarian support in area’s afflicted by conflicts. “Despite the decline of multilateralism, I hope students will not give up on the UN.”

At least at UPEACE, the students’ response was positive. Many of the attendees expressed their interest in working for the UN, an option that can be facilitated within the framework of studying at UPEACE.

About half of the circa 120 students now at UPEACE is from Asia, including 25 students from China who are attending with support from their Government. They are joined by 10 students from Europe, 20 from North America, 2 from Africa, with others coming from Latin America.