Overcoming conflicts and establishing dialogue: participants mastered the formation of Local Peace Committees

The seminar "Development of Local Peace Committees in a war situation in Ukraine" took place in Khmelnytskyi on July 27-30. It was attended by 30 activists and representatives of civic organizations focused on peacebuilding in Ukraine.

The theme of the seminar became extremely relevant against the background of military events. Most participants initially had no clear idea about the methods and tools of peacebuilding, but significantly increased their knowledge in this area during the tducation. Special attention was paid to developing strategies for solving current problems with interpersonal communications in de-occupied regions and in communities hosting a significant number of IDPs, as well as in the direction of peacebuilding after de-occupation and the return of territories.

During the four days, participants were introduced to the latest tools for conflict resolution and establishing dialogue in their communities, in particular, through the formation of Local Peace Committees - a global practice of promoting inclusive social integration processes, establishing dialogue and mutual understanding, strengthening trust, constructive and inclusive conflict resolution, and joint actions that include different sides.

The educational program included a wide range of methods: informational messages, brainstorming, working in small groups, discussions, interactive exercises, etc. Participants actively discussed peacebuilding topics, developed public speaking skills, anti-discrimination, and teamwork abilities. The seminar significantly contributed to the consolidation of participants from different regions of Ukraine, who united to plan joint actions in the field of peacebuilding in their communities. The exchange of experience between participants, including those who experienced occupation or shelling, was extremely valuable.

As a result, participants learned to create Local Peace Committees and involve communities in their work for effective conflict resolution and prevention of violence manifestations, such as hate speech, discrimination, gender inequality, and others; learned how to build a tolerant society, promote social dialogue, and find understanding with new members of their community from among the IDPs.

The results of the seminar were positively noted by both participants and trainers. Participants identified the first steps for their activities in the field of peacebuilding and expressed interest in deepening their knowledge in conflictology. Feedback questionnaires showed high ratings for the seminar, which became an important step in the development of local activism and peacebuilding in Ukraine, demonstrating the importance of mutual integration of active members of society.

The event was held in the frames of the "Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Ukraine – Step Forward" project, implemented with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by IFA (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding programme zivik.