Atenean-UPeacers commit to peace

The Asian Peacebuilders Scholarship Programme (APS) wrapped up sixteen years of fully-funded scholarships with a three-day program on 13 to 15 December 2023. The APS is a transnational educational program collaboration among The Nippon Foundation (TNF), the UN-mandated University for Peace (UPeace), and Ateneo de Manila University.

The closing activities started with capstone project presentations by the last cohort, APS 16. Four out of ten capstone projects were presented in a public colloquium attended by APS Alumni, community members, academics, and development experts. Serving on the panel were esteemed faculty members from Ateneo and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

The last batch of APS scholars, APS Cohort 16, completed their 21-month study with commencement exercises on the afternoon of December 13. Twenty-nine scholars of the APS Programme received dual degrees. They were awarded the degree Master in Transdisciplinary Social Development from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Ateneo’s School of Social Sciences and their respective Master of Arts from UPeace.

What started as a dual campus International Peace Studies Programme in 2007 has since evolved into a dual degree program that has nurtured 431 peacebuilders and development professionals. The second day was filled with alumni initiatives that included a mini-conference on Human Mobility and Peacebuilding, storytelling workshops, and a cultural night with performances from APS alumni from various batches and representing 19 countries. 

To cap off the 3-day event was a simple program with a keynote speech from H.E. Kazuhiko Koshikawa. Ambassador Koshikawa articulated how programs such as the APS are aligned with Japan’s efforts towards peacebuilding, most especially in the ASEAN region. He acknowledged the APS for its unique collaborative design and implementation: “This program is a platform where people like you with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can respect and learn from each other. The people-to-people ties formed through this program provide an excellent opportunity to form special bonds of friendship and mutual understanding.”

Another speaker at the APS closing event, Dr Omar Hernandez, Program Manager of the United Nation’s Academic Impact and Information Office recognized the APS for bridging the gap between the academe and the situation on the ground. Many APS alumni are employed by international labor organizations such as the UN, WHO, and ADB and are in key leadership positions where they have meaningful impact. 

Fr Roberto Yap, SJ, President of Ateneo de Manila University and Dr Francisco Rojas Aravena, Rector of the University for Peace, expressed their gratitude to everyone that contributed to the success of the APS. While the APS Programme comes to an end, the institutional collaborators and the APS Alumni Network expressed their continued commitment to peacebuilding and camaraderie.