30 May 2022, Singapore - UWC South East Asia (UWCSEA) and the Asian Peace Programme (APP) are delighted to announce the winners of the UWCSEA-APP Peace Essay Competition, marking the culmination of the year-long partnership between UWCSEA and the Asian Peace Programme (APP).

The partnership, initiated as part of UWCSEA’s 50th anniversary celebrations, was built on the shared organisational commitment to the understanding and promotion of enduring peace. UWCSEA’s mission is to further peace through education, while the APP, which is part of the Asia Research Institute (ARI) works to further peace through the advancement of policy discussion.

The winning essays, selected from a shortlist of 10 finalists, were assessed by a review panel comprising Distinguished Fellow Kishore Mahbubani of the ARI, Professor Kanti Bajpai and Professor Khong Yuen Foong of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Noting the strength of the essays, as well as the breadth of issues that were covered, and the variety of solutions proposed, after comprehensive deliberation, the following three were judged as the winning essays:

First place: Tanvi Kothar, Grade 11i: “Thailand and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional - Transforming Governmental Frameworks for Long-term Peace”

Second place: Kamila Hak, Grade 11: “Building a process of trust between India and Pakistan on Kashmir”

Third place: Vanshika Anand, Grade 11: “Solutions towards peace along the Sino-Indian border”

Describing the importance of involving youth in all facets of the peace process, Professor Mahbubani said, “The Ukraine War has reminded us that peace cannot be taken for granted. To ensure peace in the future, the younger generations must rally together and commit to making change in this quest for peace, in this the UWCSEA-APP Peace Essay Competition is contributing to this noble objective."

The winning entry from Grade 11 student Tanvi Kothari, on the centuries-long dispute in Thailand over the Pattani Malay community, greatly impressed with the clarity of its analysis and the feasibility of its solutions. The panel drew particular attention to the suggestion to discontinue the policies of assimilation towards the Pattani Malay people, which has been in place since the start of the 20th century and is considered an infringement of their cultural identity. This was considered a highly realistic measure, and one panel member remarked that it is an idea that would make a real difference if it were to be adopted by the Thai government.

“When I first started discussions with APP, together we envisaged that this competition would be an opportunity to encourage direct student involvement in the peace agenda, focused on Asia, and promoting the student voice on critically important issues,” said Carma Elliot, UWCSEA College President. “I am proud that we had significant interest from students on this theme, with 50 entries from across the student body from Grades 7 to 12. This gives me such hope for the future to know that our young people are engaging in the kind of conversations necessary to bring forward peace and progress.”

The selection of the winning essays was based on three main criteria: fulfilling the remit of the policy essays published by the Asian Peace Programme, the feasibility, originality and creativity of the ideas proposed, and the quality of the writing.

The UWCSEA-APP Peace Essay Competition is the result of a one-year partnership between UWCSEA and APP, which seeks to understand and promote the voice and actions of youth in peace and peacebuilding initiatives in Asia. The partnership established a one year UWCSEA Fellowship position at the APP with a focus on discussion and research about peace, peace building and conflict, particularly in ASEAN and South-East Asia. Mr Seah Ming Yan Bertrand, a Political Science graduate from NUS whose research aptly focuses on international climate diplomacy, was selected as the UWCSEA-APP Peace Fellow.

The UWCSEA-Asian Peace Programme Peace Essay Competition, launched in March, was a core part of the partnership. The competition was an opportunity for UWCSEA students of all ages to write a policy essay for the APP, and to have their essays read by prominent academics and policy practitioners from across the globe.

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In second place is Kamila Hak's essay on trust-building measures to manage the India-Pakistan conflict. The panel greatly appreciated the creativity and ingenuity of the "Trust Triangle" approach, which emphasises how a combination of military withdrawal, resource distribution and local governance measures can feed into each other to build trust between India and Pakistan.

In third place is Vanshika Anand's essay on India and China, which the panel praised for the clarity of its argument and for grounding its analysis in the long-term history of the relations between the two countries, as well as the more recent tensions between them.

The Review Panel was impressed by the realistic and implementable set of solutions provided by the three winning essays, which made them a strong fit with the remit of the Asian Peace Programme. They added that the quality of the essays has been a great source of inspiration, and one which “gives significant hope for the prospects for peace in the future.”

This announcement also marks the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May, commemorating “all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace."

The winning essays will be published by the APP at: https://ari.nus.edu.sg/asian-peace-programme/ and are available to media on request.

The Asia Peace Programme (APP) is part of the Asia Research Institute (ARI), which is housed at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

UWCSEA is one of 18 schools and colleges around the world with a mission to use education as a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. UWCSEA was opened in Singapore 50 years ago by Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. There are now over 20,000 alumni spread across 136 countries who fondly remember their time in Singapore at one of the leading international schools in the world.

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