India
UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding (912), established in 2010 at the Banaras Hindu University (India)
Fields/Disciplines
Peace studies, human rights, cultural diversity, intercultural studies.
Objectives
The specific objectives of this Chair are to:
- Explore and highlight the potentials of cultural and , in particular religious, diversity as a resource for peace rather than a barrier;
- Create a critical mass of trained and sensitized peace workers in this particular field;
- Create an integrated regional hub for research, training, information and documentation in the fields of peace, human rights, conflicts resolution and human development sensitive to the issues of structural and cultural diversity:
- Develop a curriculum for Asian and African Universities focussing particularly on the cultural and religious dimension;
- Promote the preservation of public spaces of communally inclusive heritage and cultural practices in India and elsewhere, and sensitize media and civil society about the common grounds between diverse cultures; and;
- Create and reinforce networks of academic institutions in India and abroad concerned with intercultural peace and intercultural practices, to initiate Masters/PhD programmes for peace and development, and to host an online site for interreligious dialogue.
Host Institution
The Banaras Hindu University (India)
UNESCO Sector/Office responsible for the Chair/Network
Contact: Dr Priyankar Upadhyaya, UNESCO Chairholder
Professor of Peace Studies
Coordinator, Malaviya Centre for Peace Research
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi-221005
India
E-mail: unesco.chair(at)bhu.ac.in