Background: The ASPR was founded in September 1982 as an independent, non-profit and non-partisan organization.



Objectives: The ASPR aims to contribute to the promotion of peace and peaceful conflict resolution and to the dissemination of practical ideas for peace, including its developmental and environmental aspects.



Activities: ASPR conducts and evaluates research in line with its objectives, engages in training and education, and conducts scientific courses. Several major conferences are organised each year, including a summer academy and an annual international meeting of peace researchers on "The State of Peace." ASPR was the founder of the European University Center for Peace Studies (EPU). A global Peace Museum in Schlaining Castle is under preparation. In order to help to facilitate ASPR activities, ASPR set up an unique infrastructure including the Peace Library in a former synagogue, a Conference Center in Schlaining Castle, the Hotel Burg Schlaining, and Haus International, which is a student hostel. For these and other efforts, the ASPR was awarded the UN "Peace Messenger" status in 1987, and, together with the EPU, the UNESCO-Price for Peace Education 1995. It aims to create a pool of civilian professionals who are available for civilian peace-keeping and -building on a stand-by basis. Four-week courses, partly dedicated to a specialization of choice (e.g. mediation, election assistance) are offered several times a year. Other training programmes and courses include: Project Preparation, Implementation and Conflict Management for Bosnia and Herzegovina; Rebuilding the Multi-Ethnic Society in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium; Summer School on OSCE; and Preventive Diplomacy and Peace-Building in Southern Africa. As its name suggests, ASPR also carries out research. Among its main focuses are European peace politics, peace education and peace movement, NGOs and social movements.