In February 2021, Rotary and Makerere University began to offer a postgraduate certificate program to peace and development leaders who are from or who have worked in Africa to address the underlying challenges to peace in the region. The Rotary Peace Center at Makerere University is the first on the African continent, bringing to seven the number of Rotary Peace Centres worldwide.
The year-long Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation, and Development program emphasises issues and solutions relevant throughout Africa and beyond. Hands-on experience that complements coursework that addresses topics including human rights, governance, and the role of the media in conflict. Other studies focus on refugees and migration, climate change, and resource and identity-based conflicts.
The program incorporates the Positive Peace framework pioneered by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). It applies concepts grounded in mediation and negotiation, African philosophy, and indigenous mechanisms for conflict resolution.
Instead of merely examining the causes of war, Rotary Peace Fellows at Makerere University explore the underpinnings of peace to achieve tangible measures of human well-being and progress.