Why are we running this project?
The violent conflict in Eastern Ukraine is continuing, and tensions in other post-Soviet countries are on the rise. Mediators, dialog facilitators and peacemaking specialists working in Ukraine have experienced a failure of established mediation and dialog formats. Conflict researchers confirm this observation while stressing that the obstacles hindering a successful adaptation of these methods in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries are still unknown. Consequently, there is a major demand for empirical research, an in-depth exchange between practitioners and academics, as well as context-specific, empirically based recommendations for political decision-makers in the field of dialog facilitation.
What are our goals?
By bringing together selected Ukrainian and international scientists, dialog facilitators, and representatives of civil society participate in round table discussions and based on research findings, these experts develop recommendations for hands-on action as well as sustainable, context-sensitive dialog strategies for Ukraine and the wider post-Soviet region.
How does the project work?
Since 2016, the Robert Bosch Stiftung has supported the Center for Peace Mediation of the European University Viadrina in hosting round tables with experts in Frankfurt (Oder) (2016) and Kiev (2017). Between 20 and 25 selected Ukrainian and international scientists, dialog facilitators, and representatives of civil society participate in these round table discussions.