A report on the Peace Education Commission Program, International Peace Research Association Conference 2010, Sydney, Australia

From July 6th to 10th, 2010, International Peace Research Association (IPRA) held its biennial conference at the University of Sydney in Australia. Hosted by the University's Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies and coordinated by Jake Lynch and a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, the conference featured seven plenary panels and many papers presented within 24 Commissions and working groups. Some 400 delegates from many regions gathered to share their ideas, experiences, practices and research in diverse and inter-related fields of peace research, education and action. Given its venue, this IPRA conference appropriately highlighted the continuing struggles of Australia's indigenous peoples for their rights, justice and cultural identity and the vital need for an authentic process of reconciliation. As in many previous conferences, the Peace Education Commission (PEC) attracted the most number of participants (40) although some presenters could not attend due to delays in obtaining visas and/or lack of funding support. Under the overall conference theme of "Communicating Peace", PEC participants presented papers in panels reflecting a wide range of issues and sub-themes. Overall, the PEC program in the IPRA 2010 conference again affirmed the continuing and also growing interest in peace education worldwide. Each gathering of PEC members and associates under the IPRA umbrella has provided a valuable opportunity for peace educators to exchange ideas on best practices, barriers and challenges as well as the ongoing theoretical reflections vital to deepening of the scholarly field of peace education.