Emirates Diplomatic Academy, University for Peace to enhance future collaboration

ABU DHABI -- In partnership with the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations in Geneva, the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, EDA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the University for Peace, UPEACE, to set up a shared platform to launch several projects aimed at strengthening research and academic collaboration between both entities and to support EDA’s efforts to train and empower future Emirati diplomats.

The MoU was signed between Lubna Qassim Al Bastaki, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations – on behalf of the EDA, and David Fernandez Puyana, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the UN University for Peace to the UN Office at Geneva and the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Mariam Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, EDA’s Deputy Director-General said, "At the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, we are committed to providing the highest standards of academic education to our future diplomats. In enhancing our collaboration with a prestigious academic and research institution such as UPEACE, we are taking a significant step towards achieving our strategic goals and actively contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals."

Al Bastaki said, "The UAE Mission to UN in Geneva has worked closely with UPEACE to contribute to the realisation of peace and a sustainable future and advancement of 2030 Agenda for SDG. This partnership brings the UAE closer to the UN as we continue to work within the multilateral space and shares goals to develop knowledge and skills for our UAE diplomats."

Prof. Francisco Rojas Aravena, Director of UPEACE, said, "The MoU signed today will allow us to train new leaders for peace, hailing from diplomacy and society. It also opens up new opportunities for collaboration that strengthen multilateralism and make it possible to generate better knowledge of the international system, as well as opportunities for global and regional cooperation."

Additionally, Puyana highlighted at the ceremony that he was delighted with the agreement, considering that it would advance education and training for the UAE’s diplomats based on best practices in peacebuilding.

Set up in 1980 by the UN General Assembly Resolution 35/55, UPEACE is a Costa Rica-based global academy. Dedicated to training leaders for peace, UPEACE boasts over 2,000 alumni hailing from more than 120 nations. Through its master’s and doctoral degree programmes, UPEACE trains future leaders to explore and formulate strategies and practices in various contexts to address the causes of issues affecting human and global wellbeing. wam