The University for Peace (UPEACE) was established in Costa Rica in 1980 "to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence." At present, the UPEACE Costa Rica campus has 192 students from 55 countries, making it one of the most diverse universities in the world for its size. The university was established as a treaty under its own Charter, and approved by the United Nations General Assembly. It is an observer to the United Nations General Assembly. UPEACE is not part of the UN family and as such is not subject to UN regulations and is directed by its own Council of renowned personalities with expertise in peace and security matters. This has allowed the university to move rapidly and to innovate, focusing its new, rigorous academic programme on the fundamental causes of conflict through a multidisciplinary, multicultural-oriented approach. The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon is the honorary president of the university.