BS-Reinforcing academic cooperation in the area of peace studies between Ethiopian and Flemish higher education institutions (Belgium)

GO2023ITP257A105 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2024 Flemish and Ethiopian higher education institutions have closely engaged in academic cooperation for development for several decades with VLIR-UOS being the leading platform for Flemish higher education cooperation with partners in the Global South. With over 20 years of cooperation, Ethiopia is the most important VLIR-UOS partner, for which a substantial VLIR-UOS budget has been devoted to supporting Ethiopian higher education institutions, academics, staff members, researchers, and students. Since 2015, however, conflicts in Ethiopia have resulted in material, physical and emotional damage. The war and the cessation of hostilities agreement in Tigray sparked the idea among the Flemish rectors to contribute to sustainable peace and development in Ethiopia by using academic cooperation between Ethiopian and Flemish higher education institutions as a lever. Therefore, they called upon VLIR-UOS and the Flemish higher education community to draft a project focusing on capacity building around sustainable peace and development together with Ethiopian partners with whom they had collaborated over the years. This should enable local and international environments in general and the academic community in particular to contribute to transitional justice processes all over the world in general and in Ethiopia in particular. The VLIR-UOS initiated and funded project is a multi-institutional project between all 5 Flemish universities and a number of Flemish universities of applied sciences and arts on the one hand, and 5 Ethiopian universities on the other. These 5 Ethiopian universities were chosen on the basis of their track record of VLIR-UOS funded cooperation as well as their position in the Ethiopian higher education system: Addis Abeba University, Mekelle University, Arba Minch University, Bahir Dar University and Jimma University.