The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and Rotary International are extending their strategic partnership for peace.
After two years of successful collaboration, the two organisations will continue their joint programs spreading Positive Peace around the world.
The renewed partnership includes plans to extend the reach and scope of the current initiatives. For example, the Positive Peace workshops, the ambassadors program, and online academy.
Joint programs will continue to build on IEP’s expanding research on the attitudes, institutions and structures of peaceful societies. In addition, they will promote Rotary’s grassroots work in communities around the globe.
Founder and Executive Chairman of IEP, Steve Killelea, welcomed the agreement:
“Since our strategic partnership began two years ago, the many complex problems facing the global community have only increased. Therefore, global cooperation is more important than ever. Peace is the background condition that enables the cooperation to tackle these global issues,” Mr Killelea said.
“IEP and Rotary have already had tremendous success spreading the ideas and tools for Positive Peace through engaging workshops, an ambassadors program and online short courses. IEP looks forward to continuing these joint projects to build peace together.”
General Secretary of Rotary International, John Hewko said:
“Over the last two years, we have seen real momentum in Rotary’s engagement of the Positive Peace framework. Our partnership with IEP has given us the tools to mobilise our global network to make sustainable investments towards peace,” Mr Hewko said.
“As conveners and community leaders around the world, Rotarians are uniquely positioned to make change happen. We look forward to expanding our educational and community-based work in the years to come.”
Based on education and community-based programming, the partnership will strengthen the ability of both organisations to create change through Positive Peace.
As a result, we can empower Rotarians to mobilise communities and address the underlying issues of conflict. Additionally, we can build a strong message about the importance of Positive Peace within communities.
Rotary and IEP have already worked together to train more than 400 Rotary Peace Fellows on the Global Peace Index methodology and Positive Peace.
The extended partnership will build on this program by developing regional groups of Positive Peace “activators” and facilitators within local Rotary clubs around the world, forming regional coalitions of peacebuilders.
The continuation of the partnership builds on a strong foundation. Over the last two years, two large-scale Positive Peace workshops in Mexico and Colombia brought diverse people, peacebuilders and Rotarians together to identify and develop local peace projects leading to successful and creative follow-on projects, including a “peace mural” project painting public spaces in Mexico, and a radio broadcasting project promoting the concepts of Positive Peace.
In addition to rolling out further large-scale workshops in the coming years, Rotary and IEP will also develop a versatile one-day Positive Peace workshops. The workshops will aim to help Rotarians around the world to engage youth groups, community leaders, small business owners and local governments.
Positive Peace is defined as the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. IEP has developed the Positive Peace model to develop peace in any society.
A holistic approach, it not only reduces violence and the level of grievances, it also provides a model for robust human development. High levels of Positive Peace in a society are associated with peace, resilience, lower inflation, higher GDP growth, and better environmental outcomes.
IEP is non-profit, non-partisan, independent research institute. Furthermore, IEP is the world’s leading think tank dedicated to developing metrics to analyse peace and quantify its economic value.
It does this by developing global and national indices, calculating the economic cost of violence, analysing country level risk and understanding positive peace.
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels. For example, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.
Learn more about how you can activate Positive Peace in your community.
