The Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies (CPCRS) serves as the University of Duhok’s focal point for research and practical engagement in peacebuilding. Established in 2002, it was the first academic center of its kind in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, playing a vital role in connecting the university with wider society through education, training, and applied projects. CPCRS has been instrumental in developing key academic programs, including the undergraduate Department of Peace and Human Rights Studies, unique in the Middle East since its launch in 2016, as well as previously facilitating Iraq’s only Master’s program dedicated to peace and conflict resolution. The Center also regularly conducts research, organizes seminars and workshops with political and civil society actors, and collaborates with international partners to generate knowledge that promotes sustainable peace in the Kurdistan Region and beyond.

CPCRS functions as a policy- and research-oriented hub bringing together scholars, practitioners, and community stakeholders to address local, regional, and international peacebuilding challenges. Its work focuses on understanding political and socio-economic dynamics from both national and global perspectives, with research themes encompassing peace and conflict, ethno-religious relations, democracy and human rights, good governance, social justice, migration and displacement, and peace through economic development. Through these efforts, CPCRS continues to contribute to informed policy, academic advancement, and practical peacebuilding across Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the wider Middle East.