Center for Peace Studies

The Center for Peace Studies (Croatian: Centar za mirovne studije, CMS) is a Croatian civil society organisation based in Zagreb that works to protect human rights and advance social change grounded in the values of democracy, anti-fascism, nonviolence, peacebuilding, solidarity and equality. Its methods combine activism, education, research, advocacy and direct support. The organisation is best known for its work on asylum and migration rights, anti-discrimination, peace education and civic empowerment. CMS operates through programmatic units. One is Education and Empowerment for Social Change, which designs and delivers educational programmes, supports quality education policies and aims to democratise and make the education system more inclusive while raising the civic competence of pupils, teachers and young people. Another is Protection and Promotion of the Right to Asylum and Migration, which focuses on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Croatia and the wider European context. The organisation is active in Croatian and European human rights debates. Its public work includes campaigns and projects such as "Bridging the Gap", aimed at a stronger response to racist hate speech and violence in Croatia, and "RE-SURE", which strengthens a strategic approach to protecting human rights in Croatia and Europe. It also organises the annual Refugee Weeks (Tjedni IZBJEGLICAma), a long-running public awareness initiative; the 13th edition was announced on its website. CMS comments on European migration policy, arguing that what was once protection has become deportation, and it engages with European Union fundamental rights reporting, including the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights' 2025 Fundamental Rights Report, highlighting housing crisis, labour exploitation and threats to online rights. It publishes job openings and organisational news through its website and maintains an office in Zagreb. As a non-profit civil society organisation, CMS is not a commercial company and does not have shareholders or a stock listing. It is funded through projects, grants and partnerships typical of the human rights sector. Its public identity is that of an advocacy and service organisation rather than a commercial brand, though it maintains a distinct organisational brand and web presence at cms.hr.

The Center for Peace Studies (Centar za mirovne studije, CMS) is a Croatian civil society organisation that describes itself as working to protect human rights and pursue social change based on the values of democracy, anti-fascism, nonviolence, peacebuilding, solidarity and equality. It uses activism, education, research, advocacy and direct support as its core methods. CMS is organised around programmatic units. The Education and Empowerment for Social Change unit aims to empower individuals and groups for progressive social change by designing and running different types of educational programmes, providing support and advocating quality education policies. Its long-term goals include contributing to the democratisation and inclusiveness of the education system, raising the civic competence of pupils, teachers and young people, and empowering citizens for activist action. The Protection and Promotion of the Right to Asylum and Migration unit works on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Over the years CMS has built a public profile through campaigns, projects and recurring events. It has run projects such as "Bridging the Gap", focused on a stronger response to racist hate speech and violence in Croatia, and "RE-SURE", aimed at strengthening the strategic approach to protecting human rights in Croatia and Europe. It organises the annual Refugee Weeks (Tjedni IZBJEGLICAma); the 13th edition was announced on its website. It also comments on European migration policy, framing the shift from protection to deportation, and engages with EU fundamental rights monitoring, including the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights' 2025 Fundamental Rights Report, which addressed housing crisis, labour exploitation and threats to online rights. As a non-profit organisation, CMS does not have a commercial history of ownership, listings or products. Its development is instead marked by the growth of its programmes, projects and public advocacy in Croatian and European human rights spaces. It maintains an office in Zagreb and communicates through its website at cms.hr, where it publishes news, job vacancies and project updates.

• 13th Refugee Weeks (Tjedni IZBJEGLICAma) opened, as announced on the CMS website

• CMS runs the Bridging the Gap project against racist hate speech and violence in Croatia

• CMS runs the RE-SURE project to strengthen human rights protection in Croatia and Europe

A Croatian human rights and peacebuilding civil society organisation combining activism, education, research, advocacy and direct support.

• Education and Empowerment for Social Change programme

  Programme unit designing and delivering educational programmes, supporting quality education policies and empowering individuals and groups for progressive social change.

• Protection and Promotion of the Right to Asylum and Migration programme

  Programme unit focused on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

• Refugee Weeks (Tjedni IZBJEGLICAma)

  Annual public awareness initiative; the 13th edition was announced on the CMS website.

1. 1Početna - Centar za mirovne studijecms.hr
2. 2Center for Peace Studies (Croatia) - Wikidatawikidata.org