Peacebuilding in Ukraine: the results of 2019 developments were presented in the Сapital

Since 2017, Regional Union of Youth implements the "Crisis prevention and Peace building in Ukraine – Time to Act!" project, supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by IFA (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding programme zivik.

The Final Conference for project participants took place on January 18-19 in Kyiv. The event was implemented in the "Open Space" format.

During the event, project participants presented their own groundwork and achievements in the course of trainings during 2019, and shared their views on further initiatives and activities that should be implemented for peacebuilding in Ukraine.

Let us remember the actions implemented under the project in 2019.

Two 2-module training-courses on reconciliation, conflict management and inclusion in local communities. The participants acquired knowledge and skills that facilitated the understanding and analysis of the conflict nature and its actors, as well as conflict resolution and management, mediation and basic training skills, and disseminated gained knowledge in their communities by implementing one-day mini-seminars.

Trainings for psychologists. Five training courses were implemented, each consisting of two three-day trainings. The participants received advanced knowledge and practical skills on psychological support, return of the victims to peaceful civilian life and their further integration into communities. The training participants from all over Ukraine were practicing psychologists, employees of psychological centres, civic and humanitarian organizations working in the field of psychological recovery of people affected by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Five-day seminar on coalition building and advocacy campaigns. The participants are representatives of civic organizations, operating in the East of Ukraine, and residents of the eastern regions who have an active civil position and are focused on solving socially important issues in their communities. Within the seminar, the topics of building and developing coalitions were worked out, participants got familiar with the concept of advocacy campaigns and their main stages, learned to hold public actions and use communication channels and tools for interaction between the authorities and society, methods of establishing multistakeholder partnerships, etc.  After completing the seminar, participants implemented their own public events to draw public attention to pressing issues in their communities.

According to the participants of the 2019 "Crisis prevention and Peace building in Ukraine – Time to Act!" project, it has provided them an opportunity to implement a number of activities aimed at embodying peaceful processes in Ukraine, which is a prerequisite for understanding of citizens of the state for the sake of development of Ukrainian society.