Initiative
The Student Association of the EUPeace Alliance is organising the signing of the Students’ Peace Declaration in September 2025 in Sarajevo. This event is an integral part of the EUPeace Alliance initiative, aiming to bring together representatives from at least 20 universities in the Western Balkans and 30 universities from the European Union. The EUPeace Alliance stands for the European University for Peace, Justice, and Inclusive Societies, and evolves out of nine core member universities (Germany: Marburg University, Justus Liebig University Giessen; France: University of Limoges; Italy: University of Calabria; Spain: Comillas Pontifical University; Czechia: University of West Bohemia in Pilsen; Bosnia and Herzegovina: University of Mostar, University of Sarajevo; Türkiye: Çukurova University) that have committed their strategic international outlook in teaching, research and administration in higher education to the core ideas and values expressed in the jointly created Alliance.
Strategic Importance and Policy Relevance
The EUPeace Students’ Peace Declaration Signing is a high-profile international event, bringing together key EU and domestic decision-makers, including:
- High-ranking representatives of the European Union,
- The Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- EUPeace Alliance leadership,
- Around 40 Universities/student leaders from across Europe and the Western Balkans.
The event could have significant policy implications, serving as a platform for:
- Youth-driven advocacy for peace, democratic governance, and regional cooperation,
- Engagement with EU institutions, national governments, and international organisations,
- Reinforcing the strategic role of universities, university alliances and students as agents of democratic resilience and peacebuilding in the face of current threats.
The Declaration will be promoted as a tool for shaping civic participation, influencing public discourse, and enhancing regional ties, especially in fragile and post-conflict societies.
Context and Symbolic Significance
This initiative also carries enormous symbolic value, as it takes place on the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the last functional peace accord in Europe. At a moment when war is once again raging on the European continent, and when Bosnia and Herzegovina is experiencing its most serious political crisis in the past three decades, the Declaration represents a bold and unified message from the region’s youth.
The act of young people standing together in Sarajevo, a city historically marked by both conflict and coexistence, sends a powerful reminder that peace must be continuously defended and reimagined. Through this Declaration, students are asserting that peace is not only a memory of the past, but a responsibility for the future.
Contact
The Students' Peace Declaration
The ‘Students’ Peace Declaration 2025’ was adopted by the General Assembly of the Student Association of the EUPeace Alliance in September 2025 in Sarajevo with the goal of establishing and maintaining peace in the world.
We invite the students of the world to share our commitment to progressive values, while deeply appreciating, respecting, and valuing the language, culture, and traditions of Europe and of every country from which signatories hail.
This declaration originates from engaged and determined students, inspired by the energy within student and youth communities. Responding to the need for peace and a more dynamic transformation of the educational process, our goal is to encourage European society to recognise the value of students and improve higher education as a whole.
Peace is central to the European ideal. While we work hard to improve the conditions of students across the globe, we must remember that without peace there cannot exist any kind of education.
Accordingly, WE, the signatories of this declaration, solemnly affirm the following:
Article 1 – Commitment to Peace
We affirm that peace is the fundamental condition for sustained human dignity, freedom, and cooperative progress necessary for inclusive and transformative individual and social development.
We commit to be unwavering advocates for peace in our communities, institutions, and global society.
Article 2 – Respect for Human Dignity and Rights
We uphold the intrinsic dignity and equal rights of every human being. We commit to promoting and defending academic freedom, freedom of expression, and the rights of students to learn, question, and participate fully in shaping their educational environments.
Article 3 – Unity in Diversity
We recognise and celebrate the richness of linguistic, cultural, and historical diversity among students in Europe and across the world. We affirm that such diversity is a strength and source of mutual enrichment. We will work to foster inclusive environments that respect and uplift all identities.
Article 4 – Rejection of Violence and Discrimination
We unequivocally reject all forms of violence, hatred, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and discrimination. We stand against the use of force to resolve conflict. We call for peaceful, inclusive, and just solutions in all spheres of life.
Article 5 – Right to Study
We are committed to the idea that all students have a sacred right to peace, to study, debate, express their opinion without any fear of revenge. We claim unobstructed access to our rights guaranteed by international conventions as well as national laws, without limitations on any basis.
Article 6 – Role of Students as Agents of Change
We affirm the essential role of students as active agents of social transformation. We will engage in constructive activism, international cooperation, and dialogue to promote peace, justice, and an inclusive society within and beyond our universities.
Article 7 – Final Remark
The signatories shall take all measures that are attainable to them in order to fulfil each and every article in this declaration.
The Signatories
The full list of signatories will be released after the signing ceremony.
The Signing Ceremony
The EUPeace Alliance is dedicated to fostering a European university network that promotes peace, dialogue, civic engagement, and academic cooperation across borders. Our mission is to empower students as active agents of democratic transformation and long-term peacebuilding. Held in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Declaration Signing Ceremony will formally unite the voices of students, decision-makers, and institutional partners around a shared vision for democratic values, inter-university solidarity, and long-term peacebuilding.
Programme
Date: 17 September; Venue: Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
10:00 – 10:30 Registration and Welcome
Arrival and registration of participants at the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
10:30 – 11:15 Opening Ceremony
- National Anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Academic Anthem: Gaudeamus Igitur
Welcome Addresses:
- Representatives of the Authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Representative of the European Commission
- Prof. Dr. Tarik Zaimović, Rector of the University of Sarajevo
- Prof. Dr. Evelyn Korn, Chair of the EUPeace Governing Board
- Representative of the Student Council of the EUPeace Alliance
11:15 – 12:00 Declaration Signing Ceremony
Formal signing of the EUPeace Declaration by key stakeholders.
12:00 – 13:00 Cocktail Reception
Networking and refreshments at the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
13:00 – 13:30 EUPeace-Branded Tram Ride
Departure from the Parliamentary Assembly for a commemorative ride on the EUPeace-branded tram.
18:30-22:00 European Dialogue
Participation in the joint event “European Dialogue” & EUPeace Alliance organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute (Horizon project) – Botanical garden of National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
