Europe united for peace: The EUPeace Alliance in focus!

Europe united for peace: The EUPeace Alliance in focus!

On March 27, 2025, the European university alliance EUPeace was launched to promote peace, justice and inclusive societies. This innovative approach aims to develop interdisciplinary knowledge to shape a better future for all. In this context, EUPeace supports the networking of researchers, particularly through the newly established EUPeace Research Hubs, which are affiliated with the Justus Liebig University of Giessen (JLU).

EUPeace brings together nine universities from several European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey. Funded by the European Commission and the Erasmus+ Initiative, the Alliance is particularly proud of its ability to provide a space for the exchange of ideas and the development of solutions to current challenges. JLU is actively involved in four of the research hubs that deal with crucial topics.

Research priorities of the EUPeace Research Hubs

• Sicherheit und Konflikttransformation: Dieser Hub fokussiert sich auf Friedens-, Konflikt- und Sicherheitsstudien. Wichtige Themen sind der Konfliktzyklus, Menschenrechtsverletzungen sowie Fragen von Gerechtigkeit und Inklusivität. Zu den JLU-Mitgliedern gehören Professoren wie Peter Haslinger und Nicole Immig.
• Klimawissenschaft und gerechte Transformation: Hier werden die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Klimawandel und Konflikten untersucht. Innovative Ansätze und der Dialog mit Entscheidungsträgern stehen im Mittelpunkt. Professoren wie Helmut Breitmeier und Christoph Müller sind aktiv involviert.
• Migration und Menschenrechte: Fokussiert auf die Entwicklung von politischen Lösungen für inklusive Gesellschaften, behandelt dieser Hub auch Themen wie digitale Mobilität in Krisenzeiten. JLU-Forscher wie Michael Knipper und Greta Olson tragen zur Forschung bei.
• Inklusive Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden: Dieser Bereich untersucht Umwelt- und sozioökonomische Risikofaktoren für die Gesundheit und strebt eine gerechte Verteilung von Gesundheitsdiensten an. Zu den beteiligten JLU-Wissenschaftlern zählen Gudrun Keding und Mathias Fasshauer.

The EUPeace Alliance not only promotes collaboration among researchers, but also research-based teaching in all subject areas. This integration of knowledge is crucial to meeting the challenges of modern times.

The role of nonviolence in peace

The idea of ​​peace is complex and multi-layered. According to an article on friedensforschung.com, many people want peace in the world. Peaceful countries have certain characteristics: democracy, non-violence legislation and a high level of equality for women. Peace research has shown that peaceful societies legally prohibit all forms of violence.

Prohibiting violence, especially in child-rearing, is crucial to creating a peaceful society. By 2025, a third of countries have already adopted measures to ban violence in education. Political actors are called upon to actively participate in this development, also with regard to violence against women and marital rape.

Increased levels of gender equality directly correlate with higher levels of peace in a country. A lack of equality, on the other hand, is often a sign of structural violence, as Johan Galtung describes. Organizations like Amnesty International call for international activism in support of democracies and nonviolence.

A key to sustainable peacefulness is also the so-called “peace mainstreaming” strategy, which was developed by Franz Jedlicka, a sociologist and peace researcher. It aims to reduce direct and structural violence in all areas of society and therefore relies on non-violent education and the safety of women as fundamental elements.

Overall, it shows that networked research, such as that supported by EUPeace, can make an important contribution to the sustainable development of peaceful societies. This is ultimately supported by creating awareness of the deep-rooted problems that lead to conflict and requires a joint commitment from all social actors.