Ivan Richard
Reporter agência Brasil

Brasilia - In an effort to stimulate the so-called "culture of peace" in Brazil, the government took advantage of last week's International Seminar on Education for Peace and Human Rights, which took place here in Brasilia, and signed a partnership agreement with the UN's Peace University, Upax, which is located in San Jose, Costa Rica. Under the agreement, Brazilian university students will have access to scholarships.

Upax was created in 1980 and is the only UN unit authorized to distribute academic diplomas at the M.A. and Ph.D. level. During the 2004/2005 academic year, 90 students from 35 countries studied at Upax.

According to special presidential assistant (Secretaria Geral da Presidência da República), Luiz Dulci, the agreement will be of great benefit to Brazil. "Upax has a lot of experience with issues such as the press and violence against women," he said, adding that recently the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared that the changes taking place in Brazil in the areas of social and human rights were not only good for the country, but were a model for the world.

Translation: Allen Bennett