International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge headed the list of high-profile attendees which also included members of the Jordanian Government, as well as influential guests from the IOC, the United Nations, the Oxford University and Georgetown University.

Founder and chairman of Generations For Peace Prince Feisal, who is also an IOC member and the younger brother of King Abdullah II, made a speech to the assembled guests in which he stressed the importance of the occasion and of the new partnership with the University of Oxford.

"I am humbled and honoured by your presence here today to share what is a very special moment for Generations For Peace and especially for the Generations For Peace Institute," said Prince Feisal.

"As we work towards our vision of being the world's leading institute dedicated to sport for peace and development, we are building a community of practice that links the best academic minds in the world across different disciplines with each other and with practitioners working in the field, so that they are better equipped to make a real difference to people's lives.

"This is what makes our new partnership with the University of Oxford so important."

Established last year as the research arm of the organisation, the Generations For Peace Institute serves the wider sport for peace and development community by attracting new actors and investors to the field, investing in cutting-edge inter-disciplinary research and innovation, providing a central platform for sharing knowledge and best practices, delivering training, and supporting education programmes in other institutions.

Initially, the new partnership will comprise the King Abdullah II of Jordan Generations For Peace scholarship and a research grants programme for Oxford graduate students supporting field research programmes on the ground, to develop better practices in programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, so that sport for peace and development programmes can have greater sustainable impact.

"The Generations For Peace Institute is the world's first institute dedicated to sport for peace and development and we are delighted to work with them
through a partnership centred on scholarship," said Professor Andrew Hamilton, the vice-chancellor of Oxford, which is the second oldest university in the world.

"The Institute fills a gap and responds to a growing need across the world.

"The University of Oxford is a globally-important institution, famous for its research; we share the vision of Generations For Peace in helping that research to inform practice and to make a real impact in communities facing a diverse range of very complex conflict situations."

The partnership with Oxford builds upon the Institute's collaboration established last year with the world-renowned Conflict Resolution Programme at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Princess Sarah Feisal, the chief executive of Generations For Peace, emphasised how the Institute and the new partnership with Oxford will benefit them and other sport for peace and development practitioners in the field

"Generations For Peace Pioneers are ordinary young men and women doing extraordinary things to overcome conflict and make a real difference in their communities," she said.

"The Institute's new partnership with the University of Oxford strengthens our ability to promote learning and exchanges across a community of practice which enables these inspirational change makers to achieve and demonstrate even greater impact and sustainability."

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