Peacebuilding

Our mission calls us to build bridges out of conflict, to engage in the difficult but deeply meaningful work of reconciliation and resolution around the world.

A man in a yellow cap and turquoise shirt rides a red bicycle on a street. Behind him, a vibrant mural reads “LA PAZ ES AHORA” in white and orange over a blue and green painted landscape, with a graffitied door.

Video

Pilgrimage of peace: 80 Years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki

In August 2025, a group of Notre Dame students and faculty joined representatives from other U.S. Catholic universities in Japan as part of a “Pilgrimage of Peace” to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also known as the Genbaku Dome, a skeletal structure with a bare metal dome and crumbling walls, framed by green leaves against a pale sky.
  • A large, vintage-style globe is shown, with a close-up of the continents of North and South America.

    Article

    Origin story

    The Peace Corps began in part on the campus of Notre Dame.

  • An elevated view of a city with buildings and mountains under a cloudy sky

    Article

    Verifying peace

    Kroc Institute will monitor peace implementation in Colombia

Article

Implementing the Colombian Peace Agreement

Professors Doug Cassel and David Cortright played a pivotal role in ending 50 years of conflict in Colombia.

An aerial view of Bogotá, Colombia, featuring the Church of San Francisco with its twin spires, surrounded by residential and commercial buildings, against a backdrop of mountains and a cloudy sky.
  • An illustration of a handshake between a person in a military uniform and a person in a business suit.

    Article

    Fighting for lasting peace

    Discover how Notre Dame human rights attorney Doug Cassel helped broker the peace deal that ended Colombia's bloody civil conflict.

  • A large stone cross in the foreground overlooks a busy port city with a bay and a skyline of modern buildings.

    Article

    Peace wager

    Law expert assists with negotiations in Columbia

Article

Fighting for a new generation of peacebuilders

Notre Dame student Prashan De Visser founded “Sri Lanka Unites”, a youth movement to educate young people, unite them across ethnic and religious divides, and show them how peace, not war, will best preserve their country, their communities and their culture.

Three men paint a mural. One crouches beside a vibrant red and yellow bird. Another man paints a vertical stripe, and a third watches. Left of the mural is a large, grayscale portrait of a young person with dark hair and wide eyes.
  2. Colombian President Santos, Maduro, Bachelet, Ban Ki-moon, FARC leader Timochenko on stage, white dove behind. Timochenko signs.

    News

    International partners boost peace agreement success, Notre Dame study finds

    Peace agreements often fail during the critical implementation phase, but new research from Notre Dame's Peace Accords Matrix shows how policymakers and practitioners can address this challenge. The study, which underscores how international partners strengthen accords, can inform the work of frontline negotiators. 

  10. Tropical mangrove green tree forest view from above, trees, river. Mangrove landscape, Ecosystem and healthy environment concept. Mindanao, Philippines.

    News

    Peace Accords Matrix expands to the Philippines

    Building on its international success and reputation in peace accords monitoring, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, and its Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) program have launched their next global project: PAM Mindanao (PAM-M) in the Philippines.

  13. Josefina Head Shot

    News

    Kroc Institute’s Peace Accords Matrix to address UN Security Council

    The Peace Accords Matrix program, part of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, has been invited to present to the United Nations Security Council at 10 a.m. ET Friday (Oct. 20) as part of an open debate, “Peace through Dialogue: The Contribution of Regional, Subregional and Bilateral Arrangements to...

  14. Catholic Peacebuilding

    News

    Catholic peacebuilders bring hope amid the world’s crises

    The virtual conference “Catholic Peacebuilding in Times of Crisis: Hope for a Wounded World,” held June 20-23, was a four-day, intensive exploration of Catholic engagement on a wide range of topics — from conflict in Ukraine and Congo and peace processes in Colombia and South Sudan to the refugee crisis, reconciliation...

  25. Pam Launch Image

    News

    Kroc Institute releases seventh report on Colombian Peace Agreement implementation

    A new report from the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and its Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) Barometer Initiative in Colombia presents the status of peace accord implementation as of November. The sixth year of implementation of the Colombian Final Accord was marked by minor variations...

Discover and engage
  1. A close-up portrait of an older woman with grey hair and black-rimmed glasses wearing a red shirt, looking thoughtfully past the camera with a neutral expression

    Article

    Protecting renters from predatory landlords

    At Notre Dame Law School, the Eviction Clinic gives students real-world experience.

  2. Golden statue of Mary with an outstretched arm atop Notre Dame's Main Building dome under a crescent moon and star.

    Photo Essay

    Hey, May

    The month in photos, May 2026

  3. Focused woman in beige jacket, glasses, and headset, looking up while using a computer mouse. Man works at nearby station.

    Podcast

    Inside Artemis II mission control

    For seven hours, Notre Dame alumna Kelsey Young ’09 sat in NASA mission control, listening as astronauts described the Moon in real time from a vantage point no human had ever experienced before.

  4. Hesburgh Library's Word of Life mosaic under a blue sky, framed by vibrant purple tulips and a blossoming yellow tree.

    Photo Essay

    Spring at last!

    The month in photos, April 2026

  5. A woman in a navy blue shirt helps a young girl wearing glasses assemble wooden craft pieces.

    Article

    25 years of impact in South Bend

    The Robinson Community Learning Center stands as a lasting symbol of trust, partnership, and shared purpose between Notre Dame and its closest neighbors.

  6. The bronze sculpture Desert Rose by Arnaldo Pomodoro is placed at the center of the ecological greenhouse at the Gardens of Castel Gandolfo. The curved glass structure—covered with solar panels—frames the work within a light-filled, sustainable environment. Stone pathways and carefully trimmed hedges unfold beneath a canopy of Mediterranean pines.

    Article

    Sowing seeds of hope: Vatican partnership advances global sustainability

    The collaboration supports research, education, and action to build a more just, sustainable future.

  7. Broadly smiling woman with dark hair in a navy jacket with gold buttons, arms crossed, in front of bookshelves.

    Podcast

    What happened to the American family?

    The American family has changed dramatically over the past four decades, raising urgent questions about marriage, economic stability, and child well-being.

  8. Statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus, two lit candles, surrounded by worn black and brown shoes and scattered red tokens on wood.

    Article

    A saint of our own?

    The humble piety of Notre Dame cobbler Brother Columba inspires a canonization push.

  9. Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart silhouetted against a red and orange sunset, reflected in a Notre Dame lake.

    Photo Essay

    A model March

    Semester in full swing, snow, sun, fun, madness, and mulch.