Regional dialogue

The August 2008 conflict demonstrated the inter-connectedness of the so-called "frozen" conflicts in the Caucasus and their potential to spill over with regional and global impact. During the height of the August ‘08 conflict, the voice of civil society in the region went practically unheard. Both regional and international media either deliberately or inadvertently gave a platform to hard-line pundits or those with little in-depth knowledge of the region, thus further fuelling the information and propaganda wars. This is generally symptomatic of the weak voice of local experts in internal and international political discourse, and the disconnect between official and informal dialogue processes over the past 17 years.

Our regional work aims to provide a safe space for civil actors to engage in joint and comparative analysis on issues affecting the whole region and to reverse the tendency towards the isolation of conflict-affected regions. It provides opportunities both to bring different groups together – political scientists, young journalists, bloggers, cultural figures, and other opinion formers – and to encourage exchange between and debate within societies on issues affecting the whole region.

The methodology includes research, dialogue, advocacy and public outreach and exchange with the aim to draw in new actors and strengthen the voice of the peacebuilding sector in the region to bear greater influence on public debate, policy (internal, regional and international) and official peace processes.

This work is funded by the European Union.