KYRGYZSTAN
The project is designed to address the immediate consequences of the June 2010 violence in Osh and Jalal-Abad and to create conditions for rebuilding inter-community relations in the South of the country. The first component of the project targets students in ethnically mixed universities – Osh and Jalal-Abad State Universities and the Osh State Law Institute. Through the provision of space for dialogue and support to joint initiatives, the project will reduce the tension between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbek students and will increase their knowledge and skills to manage conflict. About 120 students will improve their understanding of the needs of each community, build interpersonal relations and gain skills and understanding that will help prevent violence on campus.
As part of the project’s second component, Alert will assess the prospects for private sector involvement in peacebuilding and will identify possible areas for further engagement. Alert will also facilitate a lesson-sharing visit of representatives of the Caucasus Business Development Network (CBDN) to Osh and Jalal-Abad.
The third component of the project links up grassroots work in the South with the National Dialogue Forum. Alert and civil society organisations engaged in confidence-building work will channel lessons learnt from community-level interventions to the high-level policy process.