The Civil Peace Service (CPS) is a programme aimed at preventing violence and promoting peace in crisis zones and conflict regions. It strives to build a world in which conflicts are resolved without resorting to violence. Nine German peace and development organisations run the CPS in cooperation with local partners. The CPS is funded by the German Government. CPS experts support people on the ground in their commitment for dialogue, human rights and peace on a long-term basis. Currently, more than 350 international CPS experts are active in 42 countries.

One of the main goals of the CPS is the prevention of violence. The fact that the CPS often works in countries where conflicts have already escalated does not contradict this goal. Peace is often fragile in these post-conflict situations. Armed conflict can easily flare up again. The Civil Peace Service and its partners work to calm the waves, establish contact between enemy factions, balance interests and thereby enable reconciliation and the return to peaceful coexistence.

The idea of social justice also forms part of civil conflict management, since conflicts always offer the opportunity to initiate a process of social change. This idea resonates in the expression of “conflict transformation”.