29/04/2026
What does it really take to build peace today?
At a high-level dialogue with UNESCO, bringing together around 70 NGOs and 20 speakers, this question was at the centre of the conversation.
The discussion was led by Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, together with Åsa Regnér, Deputy Director-General, and enriched by key actors of the NGO–UNESCO ecosystem, including Julien Pellaux and Svetlomira Stoyanova, the President of the Ngo-Unesco Liaison Committee.
Representing IAESTE, Dr. Osaid Matar, President, reminded us that peace is not built in conference rooms: it is built through lived experience.
He shared the story of Amal, a student who left her home country for the first time through IAESTE. What began as uncertainty quickly turned into collaboration, connection, and confidence. She returned not just with professional skills, but with something far more powerful: trust in others.
This is the space where IAESTE operates.
Not just mobility, but structured international experience, where students work, contribute, and grow across cultures.
In a fragmented world, this matters more than ever.
One message stood out clearly: no organisation can do this alone.
UNESCO’s role as a convener: connecting governments, academia, and civil society is essential. And the NGO network has far more potential to be unlocked, especially through:
• real co-creation of programmes
• stronger bridges between academia and civil society
• making international experience a core part of education, not an exception
Since 1948, IAESTE has been part of this mission, building understanding through exchange.
🔊If you are a university, company, or institution looking to contribute to this mission, we would be very open to connecting and exploring how we can work together.
We stand ready to do more.
