The Network of Universities for Peace, to which Unifi also adheres, was officially established on 10 December 2020, on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day.
In the morning, a national initiative, coordinated by the Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities (Crui), has marked the official debut of the network, which saw the participation of the Minister of University and Research Gaetano Manfredi as well (program and more info on the network of Universities for Peace).
On the occasion of the start of the national network, the University of Florence organized the meeting "Toward an inclusive and supportive university: The contribution of UniFi". The initiative has taken into account the projects and initiatives implemented by the University in the fields of cooperation, inclusion and sustainability. Among the other interventions are those of the pro-vice-president for Cooperation, Mirella Loda, the holder of the UNESCO Chair "Human Development and Culture of Peace "Paolo Orefice, the delegate to the network of Universities for Peace, Alberto Tonini, and the pro-vice-president for relations with the Tuscan Penitentiary Campus Maria Grazia Pazienza. The full program of the initiative is available online.
One of the aims of the network is to promote attention to peace-building within the university community - in research, training, and third mission activities - to promote non-violence as an approach to conflict management and to contribute to the analysis of the causes of inequality, underdevelopment, and poverty and to their overcoming.
The Unifi initiatives dedicated to peace continued in the afternoon with a second meeting, entitled"Peace as a Profession", with the participation of Florentine newly-graduated individuals who will share their work and internship experiences.
