IICRR participated in a project evaluation visit to four universities in Tbilisi, Georgia from April 24th-29th. This visit was part of PESTUGE, a three-year long project to update MA programmes in peace and conflict studies in Georgia which is coordinated by DCU. Representing IICRR, Dr Walt Kilroy and Dr Eamonn McConnon visited Caucasus University, Ilia State University, Tbilisi State University and Sokhumi State University to meet with students and lecturers participating in and working on the 31 new and updated modules resulting from the project. These visits created a very productive space to share learning and teaching experiences on the subject of peace studies and an opportunity to draw on the shared experiences of peace and conflict in Ireland and Georgia.

This visit also involved an all partner meeting for the project and a workshop on research methods in peace studies organised by Trinity College Dublin and University of Innsbruck. Dr Kilroy also delivered a public lecture “Protection of civilians by UN peacekeepers” at the newly established Institute for Peace Studies at Caucasus University.

PESTUGE is a three-year project funded by Erasmus + Key Action II Capacity Building in Higher Education.  This project has eight partners four from the EU (DCU, TCD, University of Innsbruck, Ulster University) and four from Georgia (Caucasus University, Ilia State University, Tbilisi State University and Sokhumi State University).