Centre for Regional Policy & Dialogue (CRPD)
The Centre for Regional Policy & Dialogue (CRPD), based in Islamabad, is a specialized research and advocacy institution committed to promoting peacebuilding, democratization, and inclusive social processes in South and Central Asia, with a particular focus on the borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In a region where geopolitical interests and security-centric policies often dominate, the vital need for people-to-people connectivity and civil society collaboration has been systematically undermined. This dynamic has contributed to shrinking public spaces, weakened democratic culture, suppression of transnational and regional cultural exchange, and growing insecurity for activists and communities seeking peace. Against this backdrop, CRPD positions itself as a platform that “connects the disconnected” by fostering linkages between civil society networks, peacebuilders, and democratic voices inside and across borders of countries, particularly in the landscape of borderland ecology.
CRPD recognizes that civil society activism in Pakistan and Afghanistan and beyond in South and Central Asia, especially in their borderlands, has often remained fragmented and ineffective due to disconnection, lack of internal and transborder support, and fear rooted in regional insecurities. The Centre seeks to address these structural challenges by creating mechanisms for sustained connectivity, advocacy, and dialogue, thus enabling civil societies to become stronger agents of democratisation and peace.
At its core, CRPD re-explores fading civic spaces while simultaneously working to create new ones where dialogue, collective action, and democratisation can thrive. It undertakes rigorous research, monitoring, and evaluation of social processes, publishes scholarly and policy-oriented works, and engages in outreach initiatives that foreground the relationship between public spaces, civic engagement, and democratisation.
Objectives
- To bolster and facilitate processes of democratization in the region, with a particular focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan, South Asia and Central Asia, and their borderlands.
- To support and sustain peace processes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and their borderland regions.
- To connect peace-builders and civil society networks across South and Central Asia.
- To explore and create public spaces for social processes and democratisation, especially in the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Areas of Work
- Transborder Connectivity of Civil Society – facilitating cross-border dialogue and collaboration through research exchanges, conferences, and networking platforms.
- Creating and Exploring Public Spaces – reclaiming civic spaces for peaceful social processes and democratic participation.
- Networking of Networks – linking local, national, and regional actors for stronger collective impact.
- Capacity Building of Activists – equipping civil society leaders with skills and strategies for sustainable activism.
- Surveys and Research – conducting empirical and policy-relevant studies on peace, conflict, and democratisation.
- Monitoring and Evaluations – tracking civic and democratic processes to inform effective interventions.
- Research Publications – producing scholarly reports, commentaries, and policy papers.
- Documentaries – documenting lived realities and social processes to amplify marginalized voices.
Through this integrated approach, CRPD strives to strengthen civil society’s role in democratisation, revive public spaces for dialogue, and contribute to sustainable peace in South and Central Asia, with a particular focus on the borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
