NEW YORK (SONNA) – The UN University of Peace was established following the signing by Somali President Dr Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of the instrument of accession. This is a sign that the Somali Government has officially signed the UPEACE Charter. It is now expected to implement it.
Reacting to the news, the University’s country representative Dr Mohamed Osman said the decision by the president is a welcome news.
“This is highly welcome news, and it puts the university’s Somalia branch at the same level with the rest of the countries that have signed the charter,” said Dr Mohamed
“The students will also benefit from various scholarships offered by the institution”, added Dr Mohamed.
Somalia’s President Dr Hassan Sheikh Mohamed signed the instrument of accession while attending the 77th UN General Assembly, making Somalia the 42nd country to sign the charter, which was born out of UN General Assembly Resolution 35/55 of 5th December 1980 which established the University for Peace with Headquarters in Costa Rica and Regional Programmes in Africa (Ethiopia), Europe (Netherlands) Asia (China), South East Asia (Philippines), and in South America (Honduras).
After it began offering courses, the University of Somalia was welcomed into Somalia a few years back. Before this, Somali students used travel to Costa Rica, and to Ethiopia, which is the neighboring country where the University has its Africa Regional Campus.
“The signing of the UPEACE Charter by the president is yet another huge step for the university and we hope it opens doors for expansion in Somalia and for many students to enroll into the courses offered by the university” said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, UPEACE Somalia Country Director.
The University’s first base of operations was made possible by the establishment of a university in Costa Rica (a Central American country). In Africa, the University established its Africa Regional Programme in 2002 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which opened doors to thousands of African students keen on pursuing courses related to peace, security and development.
Many of the graduates are now using their knowledge to help build peace and support their communities. In August 2018, Upeace established its first campus in Mogadishu, Somalia University’s first batch of students for Master’s and PhD Programs.
UPEACE will host its next graduation ceremony in Somalia towards the end of October 2022. It is expected that more than 100 Masters and 10 Doctoral students will receive their degrees.
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Source: sonna
