Morgan & Morgan Partner to Become a Member of the Governing Board of the University for Peace
May, 2013 - Panama, Panama
The Secretary General of the Organization of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-moon, has invited Dr. Aristides Royo, former President of the Republic of Panama, to become a member of the Governing Board of the University for Peace (UPEACE). UPEACE is an academic institution under the UN and is the only institute of this organization authorized to grant master's degrees and doctorates. http://www.upeace.org/espanol/acerca/. Dr. Royo, will be the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony of the 2012-2013 class, the 30th of May at UPEACE headquarters in Costa Rica. At the ceremony, 151 students from 44 countries and five continents will receive their Masters’ degree. The specialties of the Masters revolve around the most important issues in Human Governance, Peace, Environmental Safety, Natural Resources, Gender, Peace building, Education for Peace, International Law, Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, International Peace, Media, Responsible Management and Sustainable Development.
UPEACE, was inspired by the vision of Dr. Rodrigo Carazo Odio, former President of Costa Rica and created in 1980 by the UN General Assembly. Besides activities at its main campus in Costa Rica, UPEACE works with a growing number of partners in various parts of the world to ensure that its mission reaches as many people and institutions as possible. It has offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Geneva, Switzerland, New York, USA, and in Manila, Philippines. Currently, the headquarters in Costa Rica have more than 100 students from 44 different countries, being, globally, one of the most diverse universities for its size.
The Board, the highest governing body of the University is appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations in consultation with the Director General of UNESCO and is comprised of 17 international members from different geographical areas, experts on issues of peace, safety, human rights and sustainability. Two American members were appointed, one from Brazil and Dr. Royo from Panama. The academic program is multicultural, multidisciplinary and dedicated primarily to develop skills for conflict resolution. The UN Secretary General is the Honorary President of the University.
Dr. Aristides Royo, a partner at Morgan & Morgan, LL.B. from the University of Salamanca, Spain and Juris Doctor from the University of Bologna, Italy, in addition to being a Panamanian intellectual and humanist, has been President of the Republic of Panama (1978-1982); Minister of Education (1973-1978); member of the Negotiating Committee of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties between Panama and the U.S.; Ambassador from the Republic of Panama to Spain, (1982-1984 / 1994-1996); Ambassador from the Republic of Panama to France, (1996-1999 ); and served as Panama's Permanent Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) (2004-2009).
