Since 1996 Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) has been working towards creating a sustainable culture of peace in Afghanistan through active peacebuilding and peace education programmes.

Part of CPAU’s work over the last few years has been supporting the Farza Peace Council which, amid almost daily reports of death and violence, deals with the ordinary day-to-day disputes.  The council has resolved local conflicts from marital problems to unpaid debts which could so easily escalate into violence in this volatile country. Whilst these disputes may appear small in comparison to what is reported in the news from Afghanistan, the absence of such high levels of violence is partly due to the council not allowing smaller disputes to escalate to violent conflict. This stability is important to resist the encroachment of armed militias into areas nearer Kabul.  The peace councils are based on inclusive membership to all ethnicities and genders in Afghan society, many of whom were previously excluded.

CPAU has increasingly conducted research into different areas relating to the conflict in Afghanistan and peacebuilding. This includes extensive work into the different conflict dynamics in different areas in Afghanistan. They have  been commissioned by various NGOs and agencies such as UK Department for International Development (DfiD) to examine a range of different issues and to give a greater understanding into the situation in Afghanistan.