United World Colleges Nominated for 2022 Nobel Peace Prize

The global network of schools and colleges, United World Colleges (UWC), has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, UWC International has announced on Twitter.  

The nomination was made by the member of the Norwegian parliament, Alfred Bjørlo, who said that offering youth from different countries the opportunity to meet, live and access education together is crucial to making the world a better place.  

“Although we have a long way to go until the winner is announced, we are proud to be recognised for our work in promoting peace through education since 1962,” UWC wrote in a tweet.

Bjørlo said that he has nominated United World Colleges for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize award as its main intention of using education as a tool for peace and connecting people worldwide makes it an excellent candidate for the award.

“UWC’s main idea of using education as a tool to create peace and connect people across borders, is wholly in the spirit of Alfred Nobel. In my opinion, UWC is an excellent candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, not the least in a time when we experience increasing levels of conflict between countries and people in many parts of the world,” Bjørlo said.

UWC was established by the German educator Kurt Hahn in the 1950s, who was initially the founder of the Atlantic College, the first United World College, with the main focus to unite people from across the world to contribute to peace through education. Today, 18 schools and colleges located on four continents are part of UWC, offering education to more than 10,500 students each year, according to its website.

“At each UWC, students come together from all over the world, and from very different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, to live and learn with each other and from each other what change is needed in the world, and how they can make it happen,” UWC notes.

United World Colleges’ national committees in more than 150 countries reach and select youngsters coming from different backgrounds and cultures. UWC’s 18 schools and colleges are:

1. UWC Red Cross Nordic
2. UWC Adriatic
3. UWC Costa Rica
4. UWC ISAK Japan
5. UWC Robert Bosch College
6. UWC Maastricht
7. UWC Mahindra College
8. UWC South East Asia
9. UWC Atlantic
10. UWC Mostar
11. UWC East Africa
12. Pearson College UWC
13. UWC Thailand
14. UWC-USA
15. Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong
16. UWC Dilijan
17. Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa
18. UWC Changshu China