Untitled Document
Center for Peace and Democracy Development founded 2. December 1991. as Center for Antiwar Action.
Founders of the CAA:
Mrs. Vesna Pešić
Mr. Stojan Cerović
Mrs. Sonja Biserko
Mr. Nebojša Popov
Mr .Nedeljka Radosavljević
Mrs. Natalija Vušković
Mrs. Sonja Liht
Mr. Dejan Janča
Mrs. Tanja Petovar
Mrs. Zorica Trifunović
Center for Antiwar Action (CAA) is the first peace organization in Serbia established in 1991 in Belgrade. The CAA emerged from the need of citizens to resist war and its escalation and develop peace ideas on a long-term basis in a sphere where pacifism had not exerted any major influence and where the culture of peaceful communication and conflict resolution had not been developed.
CAA felt obliged to focus on specific issues in order to create strong foundations for building of civil society, based on non-violent conflict resolution behavior, respect of human rights and high level of tolerance towards differences in every way.
The very beginning of the CAA work, in the 1991/1992, was marked by numerous public manifestations organized by the CAA, in order to increase the awareness and mobilize people to stand up and raise their voices against war spreading through former Yugoslavia. Great number of public figures, intellectuals, actors, musicians etc. took part in those public gatherings.
The best known anti-war events organized by the CAA in which other non-governmental organizations and numerous volunteers and citizens took part, were:
- "Negotiations in lieu of war", the march for peace around the Yugoslav Assembly on July 25, 1991
- "Let us stop hatred so that the war can stop", a show of solidarity of the citizens of Belgrade with the citizens of Dubrovnik on October 5, 1991
- "Candles for all those killed in the war", throughout winter of 1991/1992. At one point, to show his appreciation and support for this action Mr. Syrus Vance, the former U.S. Secretary of State and UN mediator in the Balkans took part in this action.
- "Peace in Bosnia", demonstrations against war in Bosnia, April 10, 1992
- A rock concert "Don't Count on Us" on April 22, 1992. At this concert some of the most famous rock groups as the idols for young people clearly stated their views against the war.
- "Spring in Serbia", peace picnic at the Pioneer Park, May 15, 1992
- "Black Ribbon for Sarajevo", June 7, 1992. Over 50 000 people participated in this protest carrying a black ribbon through the main streets of Belgrade.
- "Death Knell", peace protest against the war mongering policy of the regime, June 15, 1992
- "The Path of Peace”, peace protest organized in cooperation with students, June 30, 1992
- "Yellow Ribbon", peace protest against ethnic cleansing, July 15, 1992, when great number of people put yellow bands on their sleeves in remembrance of the way Jews were treated during the Third Reich and the similarity with the regime of Slobodan Milosevic.
- "Against Ethnic Cleansing", peace protest at Hrtkovci, summer 1992.
CAA organized international conference on Humanitarian Law, in December 1992, in San Remo, Italy, initiating establishing International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Since 1992/1993 the CAA has developed projects and programs dealing with education on non-violent conflict resolution, raising awareness on human rights and giving protection to the victims of discrimination and repression, development of a civil society through local civic activism, promotion of democratic institutions and changes and assistance to the all vulnerable groups.
The CAA has implemented its projects through different forms of education, workshops, conferences, rendering direct assistance, publishing activity and concrete peace campaigns.
The CAA established several local ngo,s all over Serbia.
Center for Antiwar Action changed the name in Center for Peace and Democracy Development in 2005.
