Presidential Statement 

Dr. Uttam Gaulee

President, STAR Scholars Network 

On the International Day of Peace – 21 September 2026

On this International Day of Peace, with the United Nations theme for 2026 calling us to “Invest in Peace — For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,” I join people everywhere in renewing our shared commitment to peace, justice, tolerance, and dialogue.

Today, as we observe this day of reflection and action, I am proud to recognize the 2026 co-recipients of the Award: University for Peace (UPEACE – Universidad para la Paz) (Costa Rica) and Macalester College (USA). These institutions embody the principles we must all embrace: ethical leadership, community engagement, inclusive learning, and a deep sense of responsibility toward resolving conflict through education.

Since its launch in 2024, the STAR Scholars Network Global Education for Peace Award has been at the heart of my vision: to shape a humane world by cultivating a community of peacebuilders through education. In 2024, Algoma University set the standard as the inaugural award winner. In 2025, O.P. Jindal Global University and The American University in the Emirates carried that standard forward, demonstrating how higher education institutions can integrate global citizenship, intercultural dialogue, and peace-centered curricula. This year’s honorees carry that lineage further still: both UPEACE and Macalester trace their founding purpose directly to the United Nations, reminding us that the work of peace and the work of education have always been one and the same.

To invest in peace is to recognize that peace is not built only in conference rooms or treaties — it is built, every day, in classrooms that dare to imagine a more just and compassionate world. It means embedding peace into what we teach, how we teach, and how we live together across borders. It means that students graduating from universities must not only carry knowledge, but also the ability to listen, the courage to stand for equality, and the wisdom to seek reconciliation.

As President of STAR Scholars Network, I believe that education is the most sustainable instrument for peace. Our award program is more than a recognition. It is a call to action: for institutions, faculty, students, and communities everywhere to invest in the daily, patient work of peacebuilding — not simply commemorate it once a year.

Let us today, and every day, invest in peace — for everyone, everywhere, every day — through learning, through kindness, through courageous scholarship, and through living out the values that unite us in our shared humanity.

Uttam Gaulee, PhD

President

STAR Scholars Network