Kyrgyzstani Ex-President invited to the Board of the University of Peace (UPEACE)
March 6, 2013, 06:00
RIA News. Kyrgyzstani Ex-Present Roza Otunbayeva, who in 2011 created the precedent in her country of the constitutional transfer of power, has been invited by the UN Secretary General to become a member of the Board of the University for Peace (UPEACE), according to what the International Public Foundation “The Roza Otunbayeva Initiative” told RIA News on Monday.
The University for Peace, headquartered in Costa Rica, was established on the basis of a resolution of the UN General Assembly on 5 December 1980. The resolution mandated the University of Peace as a specialized international institution of higher education engaging in teaching, research, post-graduate education and the dissemination of knowledge through the interdisciplinary study of all matters relating to peace.
“It gives me great pleasure to invite you to become a member of the Council of the University for Peace (UPEACE). The Council is the supreme authority of the university, and members serve four-year terms, which can be renewed. The University for Peace has been engaged in a programme of expansion to fulfill the global mission assigned to it by the General Assembly through a network of partner institution all around the world. I attach great importance to the role and work of the Council of the University,” — so reads the invitation send by Ban Ki-moon to the Kyrgyzstani Ex-President.
In April 2012 a coup occurred in Kyrgyzstan resulting in the flight of Ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiev from the country and subsequent charges against him for a number of serious crimes against the state. Roza Otunbayeva, the leader of the triumphant opposition, was named Interim President. After the coup, all of Kyrgyzstan was rocked by a wave of rioting and ethnic clashes. However the interim government led by Otunbayeva succeeded in restoring order. Otunbayeva promised to set the precedent of a constitutional transfer of power in the country. On 30 October 2011, presidential elections were held, an important stage in the legitimization of the new government in Kyrgyzstan. Otunbayeva did not take part in the elections. In December of that year she handed executive power to the newly-elected president, Almazbek Atambaev.
For her activities as a peacemaker, Roza Otunbayeva has received numerous international awards and honors, such as the France’s highest honor – The Legion of Honour.