State Minister Tea Akhvlediani: Establishing university peace studies centres will unlock crucial opportunities for youth to engage in deeper peace dialogue

State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Tea Akhvlediani, Minister of Education, Science, and Youth Givi Mikanadze, and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Giorgi Volski have officially opened a Peace Studies Centre at Gori State University.

Addressing the audience, the ministers and the vice-speaker highlighted the strategic significance of the newly established facility.

“Establishing such centres within the university ecosystem unequivocally creates vital additional opportunities for young people, enabling deeper discussion on peace-building, fostering research activities, enhancing knowledge, and generating innovative ideas.

This is especially significant for Gori State University. Alongside its wider student body, the university provides an education for young people displaced from the occupied regions and those from families living along the administrative boundary lines.

At the same time, expanding the role of young people and fostering their engagement in the peace-building process constitutes a declared priority of the state policy on reconciliation. Alongside numerous initiatives launched toward this end, it entails supporting peace centres of this kind, a commitment the Office of the State Minister will resolutely continue to fulfil to the maximum extent,” stated Tea Akhvlediani.

The Centre aims to mobilise academic resources, promote peace education, and bolster tolerance and civic awareness among young people. The platform will host educational programmes, training workshops, scientific research, and international panel discussions.

The Centre will serve as a collaborative hub for students, researchers, civil society representatives, and international partners to exchange expertise and best practices.

The opening ceremony also featured remarks from the Rector of Gori State University, Aleksandre Mghebrishvili; Deputy Minister of Education, Science, and Youth, Zviad Gabisonia; Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science, and Youth Affairs, Giorgi Sosiashvili; and Minister of Education and Culture of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, Giorgi Dzadzamia, according to the press office of the Office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality.