About us

CNA’s mission is the building of sustainable peace in the region of  former Yugoslavia through the promotion of nonviolence and dialogue, and through the trust building among individuals and groups, as well as constructive dealing with the past.

We have been striving to achieve a society of sustainable peace where the development of critical thought, taking responsibility for society and community, the encouragement to reassess one’s own attitudes and the acceptance of the diversity are cherished. To achieve these social values, we apply different kinds of activism, while focusing on peace education, publishing and video production.

With our work we want to foster and encourage the promotion of peace as a basic social value and dismissal of war and violence as ways to solving conflicts. Dealing with the past in the region of former Yugoslavia has been the focus of our interests and we advocate for the definition of this process as a multilayered and complex process that includes also: the work to deconstruct the “enemy images”, to build trust among people in the region of the former Yugoslavia and to establish an inclusive culture of remembrance; advocacy for promotion and development of public policies aimed at dealing with the past; the reexamination and deconstruction of nationalism, militarism and patriarchy as the ideological pillars of violence in every society. With the programmes of peace education and activities in the field of documentary film production and publishing we strive to create new and strengthen the current resources for peace work in the region of the former Yugoslavia. Our desire is to create and to support the capacities focused on value-based approach to peace building, led by commitment to human rights protection and freedoms of all individuals and the values of dialogue, co-operation, social justice and solidarity among the individuals and groups.

By respecting the basic principle “live what you preach” as well as by creating a firm value-based foundation in our work, but also in the way the organization itself is functioning. We are open for dialogue with all who desire dialogue and willing to cooperate with those with whom we share visions and values of nonviolence, culture of dialogue, constructive criticism and struggle against injustice. Our focus is on regional cooperation as the crucial precondition for the lasting and sustainable peace in the region of former Yugoslavia.

In our readiness to change, develop, learn and adjust ourselves to the demands of the real needs of our societies, not the demands of donors and “real-politik.”