Agreement between Birzeit University, Academic University College for Non-Violence lays foundations for cooperation, joint research

Birzeit University, represented by its president Dr. Abdullatif Abuhijleh, has recently signed an agreement with the Academic University College for Non-Violence and Human Rights (AUNOHR), represented by its founder Dr. Ogarit Younan, to establish a framework for cooperation between the two institutions, on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. 

Established in 2014 in Lebanon, AUNOHR is an independent higher education institution that focuses on academic and community development with regards to the culture of non-violence, human rights, citizenship and non-sectarianism. The university offers master’s and diploma degrees in the philosophy and skills of non-violence education, social training and active methods, conflict approaches and mediation, non-violence theater, civic education and teaching citizenship, non-violent action strategies, and human rights culture and teaching skills among others. 

As part of the agreement, Birzeit University and AUNOHR will lay the groundwork for academic cooperation between faculty and staff members at both institutions, with plans for joint research projects and conferences, joint modules, and student and faculty exchange initiatives. 

Abuhijleh stressed the importance of creating links between the university and local and international educational institutions, noting that the agreement with AUNOHR will provide Birzeit University’s community with the chance to engage with unique and interesting academic programs focused on non-violence and the protection of human rights. 

Dr. Amir Khalil, the external academic relations officer at Birzeit University who facilitated the agreement between the two institutions, said that the unique and innovative programs offered by AUNOHR will augment Birzeit University’s offerings by presenting students, faculty, and staff with innovative perspectives that they can integrate or build on in their own courses of study or fields of research. 

Younan said that the agreement with Birzeit University marks a new milestone in AUNOHR’s path towards establishing channels of cooperation with regional and international universities and research institutes. The agreement, she added, is the first step towards making tangible societal change in Palestine and the broader region through distinctive academic programs and offerings that focus first and foremost on the personal development of every student.