Peace Research Center of Kyrgyzstan

Following the outburst of ethnic conflict in the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan in 1990, the future leaders of the Peace Research Center of Kyrgyzstan decided that research needed to be done to investigate the precursors and solutions to such violent incidents in the volatile, culturally diverse regions of Central Asia. The center was officially registered in November of 1994. Today, the Peace Research Center of Kyrgyzstan focuses on two main types of activity: research on indicators of and solutions to ethnic and religious conflict in Central Asia, and civic education through seminars for school teachers, and university students. The center believes that through the combination of these activities it will contribute to the democratic development and social stability of the region. The various civic education programs that the center conducts emphasize the principles of democracy, citizen involvement and responsibility, and an understanding of the crucial role each person plays in the development of a civil society.

The Peace Research Center of Kyrgyzstan has developed curricula for schools and for training programs for civic education trainers. The organization sponsors "Democracy Today," a discussion club of social leaders, activists and experts, which addresses current problems of democratic development in Kyrgyzstan. Peace Research staff have made recommendations on government policy and in 1996 the group published a textbook on civic education titled "Step by Step." There are branch offices of the Peace Research Center of Kyrgyzstan in the cities of Osh and Dzhalal-Abad.

A print version of much of the information contained in this Central Asian Third Sector Organizations section can be found in Civil Society in Central Asia (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999).

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Last updated:    November 1998