South Caucasus
In the South Caucasus, we work with civil society leaders, experts, journalists, young people, displaced and marginalised communities to build a deeper understanding of the region’s conflicts, drive constructive change and strengthen the foundations for lasting peace.
We have been working in the South Caucasus since 1993. Our work spans the divides created by conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan and conflicts over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, involving disputes over self-determination, territorial integrity, and regional security, as well as by wider regional tensions. We create opportunities for people on different sides of a conflict to meet regularly, exchange perspectives and collaborate on concrete initiatives. Over time, this helps to strengthen mutual trust and support shared identities, positive social change and local leadership.
This work is important because conflicts in the South Caucasus continue to block progress, leave large numbers of people in long-term displacement, deepen trauma and fuel tensions within and between societies. Now more than ever, there is a need to rebuild trust and foster long-term relationships among the peoples of the region.
Conflict context
During the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, a scramble for independence with three major armed conflicts breaking out over Nagorny Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia left behind a trail of death, destruction and displacement. All three entities declared independence from the state they were once part of, but none received international recognition.
Despite mediation efforts by various international organisations, the South Caucasus became increasingly militarised. As Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey each stepped up their individual engagement with the region, mistrust deepened and tensions escalated.
The return of geopolitical rivalry in the South Caucasus has undermined multilateral efforts to broker peace, leaving a dangerous security vacuum instead. The protracted conflicts continue to divide, isolate and traumatise societies across the region.
In September 2023, a military escalation in Nagorny Karabakh led to the dissolution of the de-facto Nagorny Karabakh Republic and displacement of the entire Karabakhi Armenian population – around 100,000 people – into Armenia. Following intensive bi-lateral negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and with the U.S. support, the sides signed a Joint Declaration in Washington on 8 August 2025.
These events fundamentally altered the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict context and reshaped the security landscape in the South Caucasus, bringing new opportunities, as well as challenges to civic peacebuilding in the region.
We work with Georgian and Abkhaz societies to build confidence, deepen understanding about the conflict and opportunities for peace, and connect people across the conflict divide.
We work on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict context by empowering local people to build trust across the conflict divide and to explore new ways of supporting peace.
In the South Caucasus, we encourage dialogue and cooperation across conflict divides and help improve the understanding of the role that civic peacebuilding can play in supporting peace.
Caucasus Peacebuilding Portal
Discover a new knowledge hub with reliable, up-to-date information that fosters cross-conflict dialogue and promotes peace in the South Caucasus. It brings together information from peacebuilding projects in the region, research and analysis from leading experts, and stories from affected communities.
Get in touch with our South Caucasus team
