The tasks, program and strategy of the European Center for Peace and Development arise from the Charter of the United Nations, Charter of the University for Peace, the provisions of the International Agreement on the ECPD Headquarters and its Statute, as well as the resources available to the ECPD. In this regard:
The European Center for Peace and Development defined its basic task: to bring together the intellectual potentials of the East and the West, and the North and the South in the implementation of projects devoted to the promotion of peace, development and international cooperation. In carrying out this task, the ECPD covers the territory of Europe, but it is also open to proposals for cooperation with other parts of the world, as has been demonstrated by the recruitment - apart from numerous experts in different areas from Europe, of leading ECPD experts the USA, Canada, Japan, China, India and other countries, as well as the participation of world - reputed experts from almost all continents in numerous scientific meetings organized by the ECPD;
The ECPD has transformed its basic tasks into the ECPD Program, which has been implemented by laying emphasis on:
Organizing studies leading to the postgraduate degrees and postgraduate specialist training in several scientific disciplines and fields;
Initiating and conducting research on specified problems of peace, development and international cooperation;
Organizing and conducting international scientific and consultative meetings (conferences, seminars, courses, round tables, academic and expert workshops and the like); and
Publishing professional and scientific texts, proceedings of scientific meetings, textbooks for postgraduate studies, etc.
With such an orientation, the ECPD has so far been engaged in almost all fields of science and research, including: the rational use of energy, development and conservation of natural resources, development of human resources and economic development, technical and technological progress, cultural and democratic development and the like. Notable activities, which produced remarkable results, included environmental protection, modern and traditional medicine, aimed at preserving human resources for the development of new technologies (advanced robotics and intelligent automation of the neuron network), banking, finance and international trade, promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises, management of economic and non-economic activities and the like. Hence the ECPD strategy has been to focus attention on a synergetic multidisciplinary and holistic approach to studies, aimed specifically at the timely recognition and efficient solution of the problems of development and the quality of life in specified regions in Europe, especially in its south - eastern part.
After the changes that took place in Europe during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ECPD shifted its attention towards the ex - socialist European countries, i.e. countries in transition. In selecting the main directions of its activities and their performance, the European Center for Peace and Development proceeded from the facts that:
A widening gap between the developed and underdeveloped countries and regions is continuously causing inequalities, imbalances and conflicts, which may become the sources of internal and international tensions, thus endangering peace and development;
Development cannot only be defined in terms of the growth of per capita income, which is undoubtedly a vital prerequisite for progress, but also as a genuine improvement of the quality of life in all of its aspects, and as the ultimate objective of any strategy aiming at genuine development and stable peace; and
The countries of Eastern, Central, South - Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, which are undergoing the process of economic transition and social and political transformation, feel a specific need for new approaches and knowledge, which the European Center for Peace and Development can satisfy to a significant extent thanks to its experience and achievements.
The ECPD strategic orientation towards a synergetic and multidisciplinary approach to studies was also influenced by the fact that it would not be realistic to expect that the ECPD could pursue comprehensive research in all mentioned fields of science and cover such a wide scope of activity. This would not be realistic and is unnecessary, since a great number of international, regional and national institutions have been intensively and to some extent successfully dealing with the same issues for decades. What the European Center for Peace and Development wishes to be identified with is a synergetic and multidisciplinary approach to postgraduate training and research projects – through which it will contribute to peace, development and international cooperation.
