AlumniAlumni a aroundround the the w world:orld: CContributionsontributions to to P Peaceeace 1 2 Introduction The impact of the University for Peace now working in international careers. (UPEACE) can be measured by the work of our alumni, which is one of the Although we were careful to represent reasons why we wanted to showcase alumni from different corners of the some of their success stories. UPEACE world, master’s degree programmes, and alumni are leading advocates for peace gender identities, the stories showcased and justice in the fields of human rights, here are only a few of the many excellent gender, environment, development examples of UPEACE alumni making and international cooperation. We, as a difference in the world and finding an institution, are very proud of their success in their personal and professional accomplishments. lives. These stories were chosen through consultation with UPEACE faculty and This publication presents a collection the alumni themselves. The final result of stories from our alumni about the is a compilation of experiences that our challenges they have overcome in current and future students can use to their professional lives, and how their guide their aspirations. experiences at UPEACE helped to prepare them for success. Overall, our alumni We would like to thank all of our alumni have shown that they are prepared to for putting the name of UPEACE in such undertake any task in their profession, high regard, and especially those who from field work to policy making, from have participated in this project. Their education to diplomacy. This versatility stories inspire our work every day and provides a very important advantage in affirm to us that this is indeed a worthy today’s world. institution in today’s world. The experience of studying in a University for Peace multicultural setting offers another El Rodeo benefit to our students and alumni; they San José, Costa Rica are all able to work anywhere in the world 2014 with a global vision and the experience of dealing with cultural differences. These stories come from alumni from 30 countries; a good number of them are 3 The Alumni Network The University for Peace alumni network percentage of our alumni network work covers many regions of the world. This for non-governmental organisations but network has helped spread the UPEACE many of our graduates go on to work message by engaging its members in in the United Nations system and in dialogues, meetings, sharing of job various other international humanitarian opportunities and other activities. Alumni capacities. Some now teach at the can benefit from their peers who are University level and work for academic working in similar positions and have a institutions, while others have joined common ideal. their national governments in diverse and influential fields such as international Students at UPEACE receive a unique and affairs, electoral tribunals, and rigorous education which allows them environmental policy. Another significant to engage with leading academics and portion of our alumni community is expert practitioners. UPEACE alumni pursuing doctoral degrees. offer a distinctive comparative advantage to potential employers. The students The Alumni community is multicultural, represent an outstanding diverse and multinational, pluriprofessional and multicultural group. Every year they are diverse. UPEACE Alumni are recognized exposed to specialized relevant training for their cultural sensitivity, creativeness, by professionals of the United Nations analytical capacities and, especially, their system, international organizations commitment to Peace. and non-governmental organizations, with whom they can have a meaningful dialogue. The University for Peace alumni live and work in every region of the world. The vast majority of alumni work in peace-building capacities in their home countries and internationally, often on the front line of conflict situations. Currently, the greatest 4 Abdullahi Mohammed Odowa Somalia Natural Resources and Peace, 2010 General-Director of Somali Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP) www.ocvp.org Since graduating from UPEACE on July development with almost every course 2010 I have been working on areas of having field trip component that helped peacebuilding and state building in me better understand and apply these Somali/Somaliland at various capacities. theories though interaction with people The greatest challenges that I have facing these challenges in their real day- been faced while working and engaging to-day life and experience and comparing Somali conflict from its highest level and and contrasting these real experiences interacting with most senior Somali actors from the field for the theories discussed as well as international actors supporting during the class. In addition to this, my Somalis to break cycle of more than 20 interaction with other students draw years old Somali conflict have been the from more than 50 countries across world complexity and multi-dimensionality of while at UPEACE help me to be truly Somali conflict, it informed by scarcity international person capable of going of resources, competition for power along with and intractable with people and resources, weak institutions, lack from different background, beliefs and common national vision, environmental cultures. degradation, regional and international interferences, organized arm groups I am current leading the largest and proliferation of small arms and light and most strategic research and weapons. Making harder for one to design training organization in Somali, the specific intervention and solution to the Somali Observatory of Conflict and Somali crises. Violence Prevention(OCVP) that has its Headquarter in Hargeisa, Somaliland and During my Master’s Degree in Natural having satellite offices in other regions of Resources and Peace at UPEACE I was Somalia including the war turned Somali trained to articulate and critique key capital city , Mogadishu with more than theoretical and conceptual dimensions 35 regular staff. related to natural resources and 5 Adam Norikane USA Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, 2006 Agriculture Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Throughout my career I have had the towards a common goal. In northern Kenya, opportunity to work on development issues I worked to find solutions to water shortages in several post-conflict countries. Many of for livestock and agriculture that would the challenges in these countries are directly benefit both the refugee community and the linked to the impact of the conflict. There neighboring host communities. I find myself are former combatants dealing with the thinking not only about ways to increase psychological hardship of readjusting to food security through an agricultural lens, civilian life, and the people trying to integrate but also through a conflict resolution lens. I into a market economy when the last formal believe this leads to more enduring solutions education they had received was from early to the task of reducing global food insecurity. primary school. The biggest challenge for me was finding ways to adapt our I am currently working in the U.S. Foreign developmental approach to the sometimes Service on initiatives and programs to non-literate and innumerate population, combat hunger and malnutrition in the as well as tailoring interventions in a way different countries that I am posted. I that mitigated existing tension either primarily focus on the implementation between ethnic groups or between refugee of President Obama’s Feed the Future populations and their host communities. initiative, whose objectives are to reduce the prevalence of poverty and of stunting in My exposure to the UPEACE community children under five years of age by 20 percent of staff and students helped shape my over five years. In 2010, I started up USAID understanding of conflict resolution and Food for Peace’s cash-based emergency food peace studies. The professionals I studied security program and I continue to advise on with hailed from all around the world, but development food assistance programs that all shared the vision of a peaceful world. The target some of the over 800 million people challenges that I faced in working towards suffering from chronic hunger today. One of food security for post-conflict communities my passions is designing and implementing sometimes required an understanding activities that actively address gender of reconciliation and peace-building. For inequity to more effectively achieve the instance, in South Sudan I found myself nutrition and poverty alleviation goals that working across ethnic groups to break we work towards. down barriers and build a community of agricultural specialists who all worked 6 Adilia Caravaca Costa Rica Gender and Peace Building, 2004 International President of WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) The greatest challenge that I have faced in my professional life has been little institutional support, locally. UPEACE contributed to face this challenge by feeling confidence to explain, to persuade, to encourage, to promote ideas of conflict resolution and the importance to mainstream them. I currently oversee compliance of international program (related to Women, Peace and Securiy UN Agenda, multilateral cooperation and promoting investment on peace), coordinate with sections all around the world before emerging issues about peace, women, armed conflict, prevention,