20 October 2022

Mahidol University Celebrating 10 Years Anniversary of IHRP: Seminar on Human Rights and Peace Education

By
AUN Writer Team

By Boonyanuch Jaroenittikoon, AUN Programme Officer

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP), Mahidol University, IHRP hosted a seminar on “Celebration Human Rights and Peace Education: Educate; Empower; Inspire”. Speakers of this seminar consist of professors, scholars, and IHRP alumni joining to discuss how we, citizens of the world and specifically of Southeast Asia, can learn from the past whilst paving a way forward in human rights and peace education. 

IMG_9081.JPG

The seminar began with Dr. Vachrarutai Boontinand, the director of IHRP, giving an opening speech to emphasise the importance of human rights and peace education to the country's development. Following the opening ceremony, Mr. Joel Mark Baysa-Barredo, the executive director of SHAPE-SEA Obama Leader Asia Pacific 2022, continued the event as a moderator. He invited four speakers to attend the seminar, namely:

  1. H.E. Yuyun Wahyuningrum, the Representative of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
  2. Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn, Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia
  3. Dr. Seree Nonthasoot, Senior Executive Vice President of the Institute of Research and Development for Public Enterprises
  4. Prof. Dr. Kamarulzaman Askandar, Coordinator of Research and Education for Peace, University Sains Malaysia

The speakers agreed that, with the question of how we can learn from the past while establishing a path for the future, human rights and peace education have to be emphasised more in the future. We, as citizens of the world, need to make an effort to alter the narratives of human rights. By changing approaches to how human rights and peace are taught in the class, people’s attitudes and behaviours regarding this issue will also change, resulting in a more positive outcome for society.

IMG_9131.JPG

Afterwards, a retirement celebration for Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree was held as a closing ceremony. The representatives of IHRP and Mahidol University gave thanking speeches, gifts, and wishes to Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree for her service as a senior lecturer at IHRP, who has brought significant changes to the institute and university.