Rotary Peace Centres

A "World Understanding Month" article by Rotarian Mellisa Hudell...

Rotary Peace Centres were formed to provide a means for The Rotary Foundation and Rotarians to increase their effectiveness in promoting greater tolerance and cooperation among peoples, leading to world understanding and peace. Over the past 25 years, a variety of initiatives have been proposed to make this dream a reality.

In1996. under the leadership of Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Rajendra Saboo, a committee was formed to consider the concept of an educational center, institute, or university dedicated to Paul Harris as a way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death in 1947. They ultimately recommended the creation of Paul Harris Centers for International Studies at several universities worldwide. At these centers, fellows would obtain a graduate degree focusing on issues related to international relations, conflict resolution, and peace studies.

Rotary Peace Fellows began traveling abroad to pursue a master’s degree at the Rotary Peace Centers in 2002. In 2006, a pilot of a short-term peace studies program was launched at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. This alternative to the master’s degree program enhanced Rotary’s existing work to support international peace studies and attracted mid to upper-level professionals who could arrange to be away from their employment for just a few months. It also provided a lower-cost option to The Rotary Foundation and more immediate returns on Rotary’s investment in world understanding and peace. In 2008, the Trustees approved the short-term option as a permanent offering within the Rotary Peace Centers program.

Up to 50 Rotary Peace Fellowships for master’s degree study and up to 50 Rotary Peace Fellowships for professional development certificate study are offered annually on a world-competitive basis for study at the six Rotary Peace Centers. Rotary Peace Fellows obtain either a master’s degree in international relations, peace studies, conflict resolution, and related areas or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies. Rotary Peace Centres are located at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Duke University & University of North Carolina in the USA, International Christian University in Japan, Universidad del Salvador in Argentina, University of Bradford in England, and the University of Queensland in Australia.