Regional peacebuilding

In the Caucasus we encourage dialogue and cooperation across conflict divides and a better understanding of the role that business and economy can play in supporting peace.

We help communities to build trust, engage in analysis and debate, and transform the discourses and thinking around the conflicts. We work with a variety of people, including civil society activists, journalists, academics and the private sector to build peace in their communities and to collaborate with people across conflict divides.

We also helped to establish the Caucasus Business and Development Network (CBDN), a pioneering, locally-driven initiative that promoted greater economic cooperation across conflict divides in the Caucasus. We also carried out ground-breaking research into the economic dimensions of the conflicts in the region, to help shape local and regional policy decisions.

Our work is important because, as time passes, people’s opinions and positions are becoming more entrenched in the Caucasus, making political settlements increasingly difficult. With the shrinking space for dialogue in the region, business can play a key role in encouraging cooperation.

We have been working in a regional format in the Caucasus since 1998.