Many tensions in the world are rooted in history and the way in which it is learned at school, perceived in public, and addressed politically can be seen to either resolve or sustain these tensions. This is in particular the case for East Asia, where history is at the top of political and civil agenda, aiming to address territorial disputes, controversial commemorations and historical interpretations. Also history education, in particular textbooks, is constantly in the spotlight.

The annual International NGOs Forum on History and Peace, co-organised by the International History NGO for History and Peace, already since 2008 is a unique platform for cooperation among thousands of representatives of civil society, education and research with a focus on strengthening cooperation between China, South Korea and Japan, as well as fostering co-operation across East Asia and beyond. With many strong civil society partners, the Forum has initiated and partnered on a variety of projects and partnerships, which include the production of joint history textbooks, youth and teacher exchanges.

EuroClio, the selected host for the 7th International NGOs Forum on History and Peace, is proud to welcome history educators, researchers, civil society activists and political representatives from Europe, East Asia, and beyond, to come to Leiden, Utrecht and The Hague, an International City of Peace and Justice, on 6-10 July 2016 in order to gain a better common understanding of the role of international relations, history education and civil society in establishing sustainable peace in East Asia in a dialogue with Europe.

The preliminary programme and call for presentations and workshops is expected to be available in December, but should you be interested – do contact Jonathan Even-Zohar.