The University of Innsbruck is currently hosting an international conference of the Aurora network entitled The Role of Higher Education in Peacebuilding. Palacký University Rector and Aurora President Martin Procházka took the opportunity to meet with University of Innsbruck Rector Veronika Sexl, who will take over the leadership of Aurora after the end of his presidential term.
During the meeting, they discussed preparations for the handover of the agenda and also how to ensure the continuity of Palacký University’s participation in the Aurora leadership, both at the global network and the closer alliance levels. “To my great pleasure, we agreed on the importance of Palacký University for the alliance and also that it is vital that Olomouc’s university continues to be a part of the highest leadership of Aurora,” said Procházka.
The conference The Role of Higher Education in Peacebuilding brought 300 experts from all over the world to Innsbruck between 17 and 21 February. It was backed by the Creation of Karazin University Peace Education Hub, an Aurora working group led by Palacký University, which aims to support V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, an Aurora associated partner. Nonetheless, the conference programme was dedicated to peacekeeping efforts in the global context.
Out of 200 submitted papers, 144 were accepted, including 8 papers from Palacký University. These address various aspects of the roles and responsibilities of universities in preventing war conflicts and maintaining peace in society. In addition, they address the implications that conflicts have for affected populations and how to foster educational institutions in war zones and post-conflict societies.
The five-day programme featured 10 plenary lectures, discussion panels, workshops, and other networking opportunities to meet, learn from each other, and share knowledge. A detailed programme as well as streamed selected lectures are available on the conference website.
