The CCR was set up to develop new ideas about conflict resolution mediation peacekeeping and peacebuilding. It has an international reputation for the practical application of these ideas in war zones and communities riven by conflicts, most notably in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Sri Lanka. The Centre works with warring parties, government agencies, NGOs, regional and international organisations and civilian communities caught up in these conflicts, addressing the following areas:
- understanding the underlying causes of conflict.
- support for peace constituencies seeking to end the fighting and to bring warring parties to the negotiating table
- enhancing the roles of UN peacekeeping operations
- peace education and conflict resolution training