Dear colleagues and friends,

Following the circulation of the document on the Situation in Gaza issued by the Executive Bureau of PEACE on 14 January 2009, we have received many expressions of support for the action of PEACE from our member universities and from other partners and supporters.

They all had in common the hope that, when guns are finally silent and violence ends, PEACE and the academic community should be ready to help the Palestinian universities, especially those in Gaza, to resume their normal academic activity as soon as possible and to begin reconstruction of the damages done. We sum up below, the initiatives and the proposals contained in these messages in the hope that other member universities will join in the efforts to assist the Palestinian universities.

Indeed, the ceasefire declared a few days ago – however fragile and in need of further steps to really open up prospects for a solution to the conflict – gives us a glimmer of hope to act with this purpose in mind. 

● The University of Brussels (Vrje Universiteit Brussel -VUB) is in the process of renewing the Project for student and teachers mobility to be submitted to the European Commission under the framework of Erasmus Mundus - European Cooperation Window.  It should be remembered that the first phase of the Project, started in 2007, allowed a large number of Palestinian students, teachers and researchers (including 7 PEACE candidates) to pursue graduate studies abroad and to do research. New PEACE member-universities will join the project for the new phase, thus increasing opportunities to have more PEACE candidates accepted for Erasmus Mundus grants.

● The message from the University of Granada, Spain stresses the same commitment to further strengthen its support to Palestinian universities. The university has at present four PEACE grantees on campus. It has decided to become a partner of the above mentioned project coordinated by VUB and has expressed readiness to join another TEMPUS project under preparation. The university is also ready to act – together with other PEACE member-universities – in order to help implement other PEACE supported projects such as the Palestinian Teacher Education Strategy (under the auspices of UNESCO and the European Union) and the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Project for Palestinian universities.

● The message from Professor W. John Morgan, UNESCO Chair of the Political Economy of Education, University of Nottingham and member of the Steering Committee of PEACE, renews commitment to the PEACE Programme through grant aid for post-graduate candidates.  He mentioned also willingness to co-ordinate action by PEACE for the Palestinian Teacher Education Strategy when conditions are appropriate for the Project to begin.   He will also explore possibilities for Palestinian universities to develop their participation in the UNESCO Chairs-UNITWIN Programme.

● The University of Seville, Spain has sent a statement of support to Gaza, especially to Islamic University and Gaza Community Mental Health Programme with which it has general agreements of cooperation and the projects related to mental health and education already started in Gaza. Professor Maria Jose Lera, who has been the main intiator of these efforts of the University of Seville and and has made frequent trips tp Gaza, as recently as las December, sent several moving messages of “concern with the whole situation”,, stressing the “need to show our solidarity with colleagues, students and institutions which had suffered heavy bombing. The University is preparing to resume work in preparation of the Master in Counselling at the beginning of March with a meeting to be held in Gaza.

● In a similar message, Prof. Espen Bjertness of  the University of Oslo, who is a member of the Steering Committee of PEACE, stressed that “the sad situation for all academics caused by the bombing of our member university, Islamic University, Gaza and of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program calls for appropriate action”. Mentioning that one of his previous PhD-students came from GCMHP, he informed that the Research Administrative Department of the University of Oslo (headed by Dr.Marit Egner, who attended the last International Conference of PEACE) met to discuss the situation in Gaza and the steps to be taken.

● The University of Paris Sud, through the efforts of Professor Annick Suzor-Weiner, Vice president for international relations and Vice President of PEACE, is actively involved together with Augsburg University and Birzeit University in preparing a large scale project for research in Math and Physics. In addition, the University has been hosting many Palestinian students and researchers and has facilitated financial support for them from the French consulate in Jerusalem.

● In his message. Professor Frederik Ogee, Vice president of l’Universite Paris Diderot (Paris VIII) expressed his appreciation of the work done by PEACE, stressing that “under the current dramatic situation it is though efforts such as those made by PEACE that the situation could improve”.

● Our former Vice president, Prof. Gianni Vaggi of the University of Pavia stressed the readiness of his university to continue its support to PEACE and the Palestinian universities, particularly through the Master Programme on International Development la unched within the framework of the Plan of Action of PEACE.

● The University of Rome 1 La Sapienza wrote to express concern about Mr. Mahmud Abu Baker of Al Aqsa University in Gaza, who had been accepted for PhD at La Sapienza. He is still waiting for his permit to travel to Italy. Referring to the ceasefire declared a few days ago, the International Office of the University asked PEACE for assistance in solving the case. One similar case has, fortunately been solved and the student has already started studies at the University of Barcelona.  

● Finally, we would like to refer to the very encouraging message received from the Secretary General of the International Association of Universities by which she informs that IAU has "written to the three universities in Gaza – two of which are IAU Members - to express sympathy and deep concern over the tragedy of the war now taking place in Gaza.  We also assured the institutions’ leaders that  “IAU stands ready and at their disposal, as soon as the violence ends, to mobilize our Members universities around the world in support of their rebuilding needs.  The Association is ready to assist the PEACE Programme or to work collaboratively with you in this regard as soon as the cease fire allows such activities to get underway".