Brain World Magazine asked Rector Francisco Rojas, about our world and why UPEACE’s work is significant.

1. 48 brainworldmagazine.com Winter 2016
Personality
■ As the U.N. convened its 70th General Assembly, Brain World talked with
Dr. Francisco Rojas-Aravena, the current rector of the University for Peace
(UPEACE). We asked him about our world and why UPEACE’s work is
significant, given the direction of the U.N. While answering our questions,
Rector Rojas-Aravena focused on the importance of sustainable growth and
reminded us how we all, as humans, strive for a common goal: A better life.
In 2013, Rector Rojas-Aravena was appointed as the next leader of UPEACE
— a U.N.-mandated educational institution founded in 1980. Rojas-Aravena
holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Utrecht, and a M.Sc. in
political science from FLACSO (Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences). But
his success cannot be constrained to his academic work. Rector Rojas-Aravena
has been actively collaborating with world leaders from various countries to find
new ways to resolve conflicts. He is committed to sharing his knowledge with the
world and making a difference.
A Q&A WITH RECTOR FRANCISCO ROJAS-ARAVENA
by Samantha Macia and Deniz Cam
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
peaceeducating
leaders

2. 50 brainworldmagazine.com Winter 2016
Brain World: Can you tell us
about the history of UPEACE?
Francisco Rojas-Aravena: UP-
EACE is the result of an initiative
presented to the U.N. in 1980 by
Rodrigo Carazo, the president of
Costa Rica at the time. The inter-
national context was filled with
regional wars including the civil
wars in Central America. Cara-
zo’s idea to establish UPEACE
was to send a message to the
world that a higher-education
institution for peace was needed
in order to achieve peace. His
belief in democracy re-prioritized
Costa Rican values and made it
a human rights-oriented state,
an unarmed country and one
of the oldest democracies of the
region. Costa Rica was also the
country that invited different
international organizations to
visit, and thus became an in-
ternational cradle for human
rights and home to different
international organizations. The
proposition for UPEACE moved
very quickly within the U.N. and
was approved by resolution 35-
55 on December 5, 1980. Thus,
the core structure of the univer-
sity was created: A postgraduate
university to educate and train
people on conflict resolution, to
teach them the ability to trans-
form conflict and develop peace
through education.
BW: What would you say the
goal of the university is?
FRA: Basically, the university was
established with a clear determina-
tion to become an international
institution of higher education
for peace and to promote a spirit
of understanding, tolerance, and
peaceful coexistence. The univer-
sity fosters cooperation among
people and helps lessen obstacles
and threats to world peace by also
complying with the aspirations of
the U.N. charter. By perceiving
education as the main tool for
peace, the university started with a
variety of courses. The first course
was in international relations and
international cooperation. By the
end of the ’90s, the U.N. decided
to change the curriculum to focus
more on the initial aim of the uni-
versity. As a result, all the master’s
degrees started being taught in
English, and the university broad-
ened the amount of applicants,
receiving students from different
parts of the world.
BW: Would you say that the
university has been successful?
FRA: Looking back on these
35 years, it is evident that the
university has been able to cre-
ate new leaders in this area with
more than 1,650 alumni who
work in more than 101 countries,
where they are committed to de-
veloping our world. One of our
most successful alums happens
to be the first lady of Costa Rica,
who studied at UPEACE during
the ’90s, and who, today, thanks
in large part to her postgradu-
ate studies, works closely with
local and regional governments
on matters of cooperation and
integration as part of her political
agenda. Our alumni generally
work with the U.N., interna-
tional organizations, NGOs, gov-
ernments, the private sector, and
academia.
BW: The academic spectrum
of the university is clearly very
impressive. Could you elaborate
more on the curriculum?
FRA: We have one compre-
hensive area of study on Peace
and Conflict, which includes
four master’s degrees: Interna-
tional Peace Studies; Gender
and Peacebuilding; Media, Peace
and Conflict Studies; and Peace
Education. We also have master’s
degrees in International Law
with two specializations: one in
Human Rights and the other
in the Settlement of Disputes.
Environmental Studies is also
one of the broader areas, with
four specializations related to
Environmental Security, Natural
Resources Management, Climate
Change Policy, and Sustainable
Food Systems. We also give stu-
dents the opportunity to focus
on responsible management for
sustainable development.
BW: Where do you think the
U.N. is headed?
FRA: The U.N. has recently
been making relevant decisions
for conflict resolution. This sub-
ject is one of the most important is-
sues today, as the conflicts world-
wide become more complex.
This is an especially crucial year
because of U.N.’s 70th anniver-
sary. The U.N. will make decisive
choices in four main areas, and
peacekeeping is one of the most
important. The secretary-general
created a special group to rede-
sign and rethink peace and the
role of peacekeeping military
forces, since political will is more
important than military force
to resolve conflicts. The people
in the field need to be thinking
of those in need and view their
protection as the main objective.
The second and probably
most important area is relat-
ed to sustainable development
and growth for the Post-2015
and Development Agenda 2030
programs. We must eliminate
extreme poverty all around the
world. We also cannot move
forward without addressing the
need for water in various parts
Rojas-Aravena cont’d
WE MUST ELIMINATE EXTREME POVERTY
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
WITH THE
DIGITAL
COMMUNI-
CATION REV-
OLUTION,
MOST PEO-
PLE HAVE
GAINED THE
OPPORTU-
NITY TO
COMMUNI-
CATE AND
PUT FORTH
THEIR OWN
IDEAS.

3. 52 brainworldmagazine.com
of the globe. In terms of extreme
poverty, there has been important
progress. In the case of Latin
America, more than 50 million
people used to live in poverty,
and today, a significant portion
of them represent a new middle
class. A similar progression oc-
curred in China, India, Brazil,
and Indonesia, too. But much
remains undone.
The third area, which is the
most significant threat to the hu-
man race, is climate change. At
the end of 2015, a conference on
climate change will convene in
Paris. If countries cannot achieve
a specific plan to battle against
climate change, we will very like-
ly have to confront an inexplica-
ble humanitarian disaster. Some
scientists argue that although the
world population is currently at
8 billion people, we could lose at
least half of that population if the
average temperature goes up by 2
degrees Celsius.
The fourth and final area of
focus for the U.N. during its
70th anniversary is that of hu-
man rights and the strengthening
of the Human Rights Council.
Presently, each country presents a
report to the council, which gives
its recommendations, but this is
not enough. Today’s challenge is
to find ways to improve human
rights protection through the
U.N. That way, by preventing
the violation of human rights in
certain parts of the world, we will
not have to deal with worse crises
in the future. Historically, coun-
tries struggling with civil wars or
complex conflicts almost always
present warning signs about a de-
cade before the conflict, among
them polarization and the full
violation of human rights.
BW: What can people do as
individuals to support these
changes?
FRA: In our globalized world,
transnational dialogues have be-
come more common and pos-
sible. With the digital commu-
nication revolution, most people
have gained the opportunity to
communicate and put forth their
own ideas. This revolution could
be used in very constructive and
productive ways: for building
peace, for focusing on human
rights, and for accomplishing the
dream of happiness for all. How-
ever, this possibility could also be
abused and used for destruction.
For that reason, taking action is
crucial, and each individual’s goal
should be to create institutions
for more permanent actions while
using their own ideas and incor-
porating those of others.
BW: If we are to see peace as
the absence of tension or stress,
are there any meditative courses
that focus on the brain and
stress resolution?
FRA: Well, I think that the uni-
versity has a variety of courses
that focus on inner peace from
different perspectives. We see the
role of the institution as trans-
forming conflict and creating
the space to solve problems in a
nonviolent way through educa-
tion. But although the reduction
of stress is important, I think that
it’s necessary to have some level
of adrenaline/tension in order
to undertake action. Otherwise,
you might feel too comfortable
and less inclined to act. Peace
requires courage and a lot of
input, which can also lead to
great frustration, because some-
times you make progress and
realize that there is still a long
way ahead. It is important not
to forget that this is a permanent
process and to ensure that when
you look back, you have taken all
the necessary steps to achieve the
final goal.
BW: Would you say that you
have a role model who shaped
your path?
FRA: I think various people in-
fluenced me in different ways.
We are currently using Mother
Teresa’s famous quote, “Peace
begins with a smile,” around the
campus, in hopes that students
will remember that change be-
gins with each of us, and so I
will say that great leaders like
her are my first inspiration. If
you smile, this causes a reaction
in others to smile back. This is
not to say that if you smile in the
face of starvation and disaster, it
will have any impact. Neverthe-
less, when it comes to mastering
negotiation, smiling is a neces-
sary tool. Professor Roger Fisher
(of Harvard University) taught
me how to negotiate during my
studies through the Harvard Ne-
gotiation Project. I also learned
so much from my academic stud-
ies in Latin America and Europe
(the Netherlands). I was always
lucky, because I always had the
opportunity to meet influential
people who inspired me, includ-
ing several Latin American presi-
dents from different countries. In
the case of Costa Rica, president
Rodrigo Carazo (1978-1982),
president Luis Alberto Monge
(1982-1986), Nobel Prize-win-
ner president Oscar Arias (1986-
1990 and 2006-2010), president
Laura Chinchilla (2010-2014),
and current president Luis Guill-
ermo Solis (2014-2018). More
important than the knowledge
they gave me is the friendship
they provided me with, which
helped shape my perception of
the world. I get to work with
presidents and show them my
work and I feel that through these
Rojas-Aravena cont’d political dialogues you always
learn a lot, because presidents are
quite bright people. Many want
to believe that most presidents
are not smart, that they managed
to become heads of states by luck
alone, but I have found this to
be quite untrue. The presidents
I’ve met are visionaries, persistent
and perceptive and thus able to
create opportunities to present
their citizens with a better life.
I am grateful that I’ve had the
opportunity to work at this uni-
versity, because I see it as a way to
say “Thank you” to all these peo-
ple, to Costa Rica, to president
Carazo, to president Monge,
to president Arias, to president
Chinchilla, and to president So-
lis. Thanks to them, my ideas can
now be disseminated within the
academic world and truly make
a difference. I am very pleased to
contribute to the development
and the relaunch of UPEACE, a
leading institution that has been
educating leaders for peace for
the last 35 years.
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