Centre For Peace & Conflict Studies

Call for applications!

Applications for the 2018 CPCS Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) Master’s Programme are open until October 31, 2017. Want to develop your skills and competence to build peace and justice in the Asia region and beyond? Want to strengthen your capacity to critically evaluate your own work and interventions, and to then...

2017 Peace Practitioners Research Conference

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Upcoming conference on the GRP-NDF Peace Process!

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) is pleased to announce an upcoming conference exploring the Government of the Philippines (GRP) – National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) peace process. At this important moment in the GRP-NDF peace process, conference participants will have a chance to hear from...

Strengthening Understanding through Dialogue: A Peacebuilding Approach to the Korean Peninsula Conflict

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) is pleased to announce our latest publication, Strengthening Understanding through Dialogue: A Peacebuilding Approach to the Korean Peninsula Conflict. This publication reviews the events that have brought the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China to...

Celebrating the Music and Arts of Cambodia

The ChubMet Festival showcases the importance of music and arts as ways for people to share their experiences, their hopes for the future, and celebrate resilience in Cambodia. Siem Reap’s second annual ChubMet (Friendship Festival) kicked off on Friday night in Kandal Village. The weeklong festival celebrates friendship, community, and...

Peace Is Living With Dignity: Voices of Communities from Myanmar’s ceasefire areas in 2016

Peace is Living with Dignity showcases the second round of CPCS’ project listening to communities and their experiences with the peace process in Myanmar. Utilising CPCS Listening Methodology, the project aims to amplify the voices of people in ceasefire areas of Myanmar to inform and influence decision-makers in the peace process....

RESILIENCE: Let’s Tell the Story of How Cambodia Stood Up

CPCS Co-founder and Director Emma Leslie opened the RESILIENCE Exhibition with these words: “Cambodia is the possibility for us to be reminded that there is always hope; that there is always resilience; that there is always the chance to come back from terrible things that we do to each other, human...

RESILIENCE Exhibition goes to Phnom Penh!

In October 2016, the Cambodia Peace Museum project together with CONSTABLE At Large Gallery created the photography exhibition, RESILIENCE, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords. The exhibition celebrate the remarkable resilience of Cambodians during this period, highlighting the many ways this rebuilding took shape. RESILIENCE will feature...

John Paul Lederach 2016 PPRC Key Note Remarks

John Paul Lederach, a highly respected and knowledgeable leader in peacebuilding, shared his experience of reconciliation with participants via Skype at the 2016 Peace Practitioners Research Conference on November 26. The following is notes from his key note address on November 26: John Paul Lederach The importance of working in local...

Dr Emma Leslie 2016 PPRC Welcoming Remarks

CPCS hosted our 5th annual Peace Practitioners Research Conference, with this year’s theme of Revisiting Reconciliation: Making It Real. Emma Leslie, CPCS Executive Director, welcomed participants to PPRC and proposed this challenge to how we use the space: Good morning to all of you. We wanted to start this conference by offering...

Building Relationships Across Divides: Peace and Conflict Analysis of Kachin State, 2016

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) is happy to present a new publication: Building Relationships Across Divides: Peace and Conflict Analysis of Kachin State, 2016.

“Peace is for Everyone” Cotabato Book Launch

On July 13, in another momentous event, the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS), together with the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies (IBS), launched the publication Peace is for Everyone; Bangsamoro Stories of Hope, Survival, Pain and Resilience in Cotabato City, Philippines. Like the event held in Marawi City on...

“Peace is for Everyone” Marawi Book Launch

On July 12, the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS), together with the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies (IBS) officially launched the publication Peace is for Everyone; Bangsamoro Stories of Hope, Survival, Pain and Resilience at the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, Philippines. We would like to extend...

“How do you solve a problem like the GPH-NDFP peace process?” Book Launch

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who joined us for the official launch of “How do you solve a problem like the GPH-NDFP peace process? Paradigm shifts for 2016 and Beyond”, authored by Judge Soliman “Sol” Santos, Jr....

BOOK LAUNCH INVITATION: “Peace is for Everyone”

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS), together with the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies (IBS), cordially invites you to join distinguished guests at the official book launch events for ‘Peace is for Everyone: Bangsamoro stories of hope, survival, pain and resilience”. MARAWI CITY DATE: July 12, 2016 TIME: 9am-12pm...

BOOK LAUNCH INVITATION: “How do you solve a problem like the GPH-NDFP Peace Process?”

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) cordially invites you to join distinguished guests, Government of the Philippines representatives, civil society organisations and other stakeholders and peace practitioners at the official launch of “How do you solve a problem like the GPH-NDFP Peace Process? Paradigm shifts for 2016 and...

New Peace Museum archives highlight hope & resiliency

In April 2016, the Cambodia Peace Museum – a major project being carried out by the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) – received archival photographs and journal articles from Doug Hostetter, a US citizen who visited Cambodian schools and refugee camps in January 1980.* Doug documented his visit...

Exhibition explores youth ideas of peace & reconciliation in Cambodia

Featuring a collection of paintings by students from the Cambodia Land Mine Museum (CLMM) School, Peace Art – a new exhibition currently on display at the Constable Gallery At Large – showcases young Cambodian’s visions for peace in their country and explores their hopes for the future. As part of...

Peace is for Everyone: Bangsamoro stories of hope, survival, pain and resilience

A new publication, Peace is for Everyone: Bangsamoro stories of hope, survival, pain and resilience, seeks to portray the individual and collective journey of the Bangsamoro people from conflict to peace. The book, authored by the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies (IBS) – a Mindanao-based non-governmental research institution – is the...

“We Want Genuine Peace” Book Launch

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who joined us for the official launch of We Want Genuine Peace – Voices of communities from Myanmar’s ceasefire areas 2015 on June 9 in Yangon, Myanmar. In particular, we would like...

“We want to know what peace is – we want to feel it”

In violent conflict, communities are the ones who are the most affected and who experience first-hand any changes brought about by ceasefire agreements. These people need to be heard for a deeper understanding of how ceasefires arrangements, and wider peace processes, affect those at the forefront of the conflict. Listening...

Renewed hope and challenges in the Government of the Philippines & the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Peace Process

The recent election of a new administration of the Philippines opens a clear window of opportunity to revive the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Process. Published by the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS), Judge Soliman (Sol) M. Santos...

New archives, new partners and Paris Peace Accords Gala

The Cambodia Peace Museum has been busy collecting archives and strengthening and expanding our networks to build a solid foundation for the project in Cambodia. Our most recent archival photographs and articles came from volunteers and journalists visiting the country in the 1980s and 1990s. American Doug Hostetter, of the...

New book looks back on 10 years of GPH-NDFP peace process and proposes ways forward

How do you end a protracted, seemingly intractable, conflict that has lasted for more than 40 years? And how do you do it in a context of exhaustion and disillusion? This collection of articles by Judge Sol Santos, presents a thoughtful analysis of the peace process between the Government of...

People of Myanmar’s Peace Process now in Burmese

The CPCS publication Making Peace in Their Own Words: People of Myanmar’s Peace Process is now available online in Burmese. The book, launched late last year in Yangon and New York, presents an interwoven narrative of the views, origins and life experiences of key individuals from different sides of the...

Listening to communities: Strengthening inclusivity & understanding

What is CPCS Listening Methodology and how is it carried out? How can listening projects be used in peacebuilding efforts to increase inclusivity and strengthen dialogue? What are the opportunities and challenges such an approach entails? How can listening methodology contribute to policy discussions to promote greater understanding and representation in peace...

Ceasefire monitoring report now in Burmese

The CPCS publication We Want Genuine Peace: Voices of communities from Myanmar’s ceasefire areas in 2015 is now available in Burmese. Based on 772 conversations carried out between November 2014 and March 2015 with 1,072 people living in six states which have ceasefires, We Want Genuine Peace presents community opinions about...

Communal violence publication now available in Burmese

Using CPCS Listening Methodology, this publication elevates community voices from six locations in Myanmar that experienced communal violence to reveal a strong alternative narrative to the one commonly heard on the issue. Conversations were held in November 2014 with 220 community members from Meiktilla, Mandalay Region; Lashio, Shan State; Mandalay,...

Karen unity building paper now in Burmese

The CPCS publication Karen Unity Building Initiatives: Towards sustainable peace in Myanmar is now available online in Burmese. In light of ongoing unity-building measures in Myanmar, the CPCS Learning Paper examines the Karen history of conflict, seeking to analyse the push for greater unity amongst the Karen. It explores Karen opinions...

What next in the Mindanao peace process?

Emma Leslie & Kristian Herbolzheimer The non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by Congress did not come as a surprise. It was a scenario foreseen by many since early after the Mamasapano tragedy in January last year. In fact, given the risks that Congress might enact a law that was...

Liaison Offices Learning Paper available in Burmese

Building Infrastructures for Peace: The Role of Liaison Offices in Myanmar’s Peace Process, a Learning Paper published by CPCS, is now available in Burmese. Based on CPCS observations and interviews with over 100 liaison office staff, this paper provides an analysis of liaison offices in the scope of the larger...

MILF peace history launched in Mindanao

On February 15, the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies officially launched a new book, The Journey of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s First Ex-Combatants, at the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) in Cotabato, Mindanao, the Philippines, following a launch in Manila on February 12. Produced with support of the UK...

Reaching out, sharing reflections

MUSEUM DIARY: Phnom Penh, February 11 2016 The Peace Museum Team has just wrapped up a busy week in Phnom Penh. We met with several embassies, international NGOs and Cambodian peacebuilders to share our plans for 2016 and how we will involve Phnom Penh and the rest of the country. The...

CPCS receives first Peace Museum archives

On February 4, CPCS Co-founder and Peace Museum visionary Ngarm Soth Plai and CPCS Executive Director Emma Leslie accepted the first archives for the Cambodia Peace Museum from Venerable Tola and Bob Maat at Battambang Buddhist University. The archives document the story of Venerable Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda – a key figure in...

Exploring Cambodia’s peace and history through art

Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies co-founder and Cambodia Peace Museum visionary Ngarm Soth Plai and Siem Reap-based artist Sasha Constable recently visited the Cambodia Landmine Museum (CLMM) to give a presentation on peace to 26 youth ranging from 11 to 21 years old. The presentation aimed to introduce and...

What are Peace Infrastructures?

The following is an extract from the CPCS Learning Paper – Building Infrastructures for Peace: The Role of Liaison Offices in Myanmar’s Peace Process. In the past decade, the peace infrastructure framework has emerged as a key aspect of conflict transformation. The concept was first developed by John Paul Lederarch who...

The year ahead for the Peace Museum

MUSEUM DIARY: January 18, 2015 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on 23rd October 1991. The Paris Peace Accords signified an official end to the civil war that was plaguing Cambodia from the 1960s through the 1980s, and laid the foundation for a transition to democracy...

Philippine Government, MILF share peacebuilding experiences with Myanmar group

The Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPCS) organised an exposure visit to Manila and Cotabato in Philippines from December 12-18, 2015 for 10 members of the Myanmar Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), one of the peace infrastructures created after the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in October 2015. Four...

Learning Paper: Karen Unity Building Initiatives

In light of ongoing unity-building measures in Myanmar, Karen Unity Building Initiatives: Towards sustainable peace in Myanmar examines the Karen history of conflict, seeking to analyse the push for greater unity amongst the Karen. The paper explores Karen opinions and experiences of unity building, derived from conversations with Karen individuals from various communities,...

“Let’s listen to what they have to say”

The following is the preface to The Journey of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s First Ex-Combatants. Download the full publication here. On June 16, 2015 a Ceremonial Turnover of Weapons and Decommissioning of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants was held at the old Capitol Building in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao....

New way to support Peace Museum

MUSEUM DIARY: December 8, 2015 Hosting our first event in New York created a great opportunity to reconnect with long-time friends and colleagues who have known and worked alongside CPCS co-founder and Peace Museum visionary Soth Plai Ngarm and CPCS Executive Director Emma Leslie in Cambodia in the 1990s. Some of the people who joined...

4th Peace Practitioners Research Conference

Siem Reap, Cambodia December 9-10, 2015 Learning from Asian practices of mediation, negotiation & dialogue The 2015 Peace Practitioners Research Conference (PPRC) brought together more than 120 peace scholars and practitioners to critically reflect on lessons learned in the areas of mediation, negotiation and dialogue from current peace processes in the...

ACTS Programme turns 10!

2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) Master’s Programme. To celebrate the occasion, on Saturday December 12, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia Chancellor Dr. Chea San Chanthan, Rector Keara Phan, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Dr. Raymond Leos, Dr. Simon Fischer, Centre for Peace & Conflict...

Making Peace in Their Own Words book launch speech

The following speech was delivered by Executive Director of Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies Emma Leslie at the launch of Making Peace in Their Own Words: People of Myanmar’s Peace Process on October 7, 2015, Sedona Hotel, Yangon, Myanmar. Minister U Aung Min, distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman. Firstly, I would like...

Towards peace in Myanmar: Building common humanity

Encouraging dialogue in grassroots communities through the People’s Dialogue Initiative is helping to create a better future in Myanmar, writes Richard Smith, conflict transformation strategist and CPCS consultant. Silence isn’t always golden Silence is golden goes the saying. But in the golden land of Myanmar the culture of silence that still dominates...

Why a Cambodia Peace Museum?

The following speech was delivered by CPCS co-founder Soth Plai Ngarm at an event in New York City on October 19 to mark the official start of the Cambodian Peace Museum campaign. To view more photos from the event, click here. Why a Peace Museum? Firstly, I would like to...

The Iliad in New York

MUSEUM DIARY: October 21, 2015 On October 19, CPCS launched our first official event for the Cambodia Peace Museum – a reading of The Iliad. This event demonstrated the breadth of people who are connecting with the vision and supporting in their own unique ways. One such key support is Tony Newfield, who...

Reflections from Lowell

MUSEUM DIARY: October 15-16, 2015 This was my second time visiting Lowell, Massachusetts, home to the second-largest Cambodian community in America – a fact reflected by the designation of “Cambodia Town” within the city. In Cambodia Town, street lamps have flags welcoming you, and every shop – from restaurant, to laundry...

Making Peace to be launched in New York

Following its launch in Yangon, Myanmar on October 7, Making Peace In Their Own Words: People of Myanmar’s Peace Process will also be launched at an event in New York City on October 21. Published by CPCS, Making Peace presents an interwoven narrative of the views, origins and life experiences of...

Engaging with the Cambodian diaspora

CPCS representatives are speaking about reconciliation and the Cambodia Peace Museum project at an event on October 16 in Lowell, Massachusetts, which has the second highest population of Cambodian Americans in the United States and is a centre for the Cambodian diaspora on the east coast. READ MORE ABOUT THE...