Cooperation for Peace and Unity. http://www.cpau.org.af/ In October 1996, a group of committed Afghans began seeking ways to help foster peace in Afghanistan.
Working for peace and a better future for Afghanistan based on a foundation of human rights, justice & sustainable social development. They met together and talked about forming an organization through which they are able to expand their objectives and try to promote peace in Afghanistan. Eventually, they established Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) - the first Afghan organization to work f
or peace - as a non-governmental and not-for-profit organization, furthering the interest of no political entity in Afghanistan or elsewhere. The first ever Afghan NGO with outreach and advocacy branches in Europe and Asia, CPAU works for the promotion of knowledge and awareness of peace, social justice, and human rights as the foundation upon which the future development of Afghanistan will be built. Through direct encouragement and participation in active peacebuilding, CPAU hopes to contribute to the creation of a viable alternative to war and violence, as the first step towards building a lasting peace. CPAU is also the first Afghan-led research organization in Afghanistan with the aim of building up the capacity of Afghans to conduct quality research at a competitive level, and help empower Afghan civil society to take a leadership role in research, advocacy and policy formulation in peace and development processes and debates nationally; giving ownership back to Afghans. In 2008, to meet its institutional strategic plan and individual project plans as implemented by CPAU’s Research Unit, CPAU became the first Afghan NGO to open an office in Europe with the objective of more targeted delivery of CPAU’s research output, and increase in the potential for achieving policy change accordingly
