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Makeshift classrooms and the constant threat of insecurity marked its early years.
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Pride-filled family members applauded in joy as they witnessed the graduates receive their hard-earned laurels.
Image: HANDOUT
Eighty-three graduates have been conferred with PhDs and Masters certificates during the third graduation ceremony of the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Of the total, 10 were awarded PhD certificates while 73 graduated with masters degrees.
Speaking at the event, the United Nations Special Representative for Somalia, Catriona Laing, termed the graduates as "beacons of hope in a nation (Somalia) yearning for peace and stability.”
Established in 2018, UPEACE Somalia has been a beacon of academic excellence in a land scarred by conflict.
The university rose from the ashes of war, its very existence a testament to the unyielding human spirit's thirst for peace and knowledge.
Makeshift classrooms and the constant threat of insecurity marked its early years.
Pride-filled family members applauded in joy as they witnessed the graduates receive their hard-earned laurels.
"They are the architects of a brighter future," said Farah Dalal, a parent who supported his son through the proceeds of his carpentry.
"While hundreds of his peers risked the dangerous journey to Europe and other Western countries, I always encouraged my son to arm himself with knowledge. He heeded, and just as I imagined, his future appears better than mine."
Mohamed Yusuf, UPEACE Somalia country director congratulated the graduates for their achievements.
"To our cherished students, the bright minds of today and the leaders of tomorrow, this day is yours. Your families, friends, and the dedicated faculty and administration of UPEACE share in your victory," he noted.
In 2018, when UPEACE began offering its program in Mogadishu, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was one of the first students to enrol in the university’s doctoral program.
The University for Peace (UPEACE) was established through UN General Assembly resolution 35/55 of December 5, 1980, globally to lessen the obstacles to peace as enshrined by the United Nations Charter.
Since its establishment, the University has been focusing on thematic areas such as conflict prevention, human security, human rights, environmental security and post-conflict rehabilitation.
In late 2018, UPEACE expanded its operations to Somalia with the sole aim of building a fully-fledged campus in Mogadishu to aid Somalia’s post-conflict recovery.
In December 2022 during its second graduation, Mohamud graduated with a PhD, becoming the few African leaders to achieve such a fete.
The Somali leader thesis focused on peace, governance and development.
His dissertation, which he defended in August, was titled, ‘Examining the Challenges of Clan Politics in State-building: A Case Study of Somalia’.