PEACE BUILDING AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN UKRAINE – STEP FORWARD

The project offers a multiple approach to the conflict resolution, peacebuilding and after-offensive restoration in Ukraine through capacity building, awareness-raising, educational and inclusive measures for representatives of the civil society and governmental structures that operate in war-affected regions and/or for conflict-affected groups and coordinate state policies in selected areas.

The peacebuilding measures, implemented in the frames of the project, will serve to overcome ongoing internal conflicts in the society, alleviate the impact of the war, promote inter-regional cooperation between different parts of Ukraine, ensure mediation processes, peaceful communications and dialog, reintegration of different groups of population. They will, at the same time, enhance the capability of involved civilians to resolve conflicts themselves and lead to a stabilization of the situation on the territories where no direct military actions take place. Altogether it is expected to have the following impact:

✔ The peace, particularly prevention of potential confrontations among IDPs groups and hosting communities, democratic values and Ukrainian solidarity with people on the occupied territories are promoted by young people with the use of non-formal channels and creative methodologies.

✔  Local government authorities become capable to ensure effective restoration and recovery processes after the military offensive, establish community members’ participation in decision making, enhance transparent policies to address their economic, social and political aspirations and ensure inclusion of discriminated groups; altogether it serves for stabilization of the political situation and sustaining of peace at the local and national levels, strengthening the state structures in the wake of the war.

✔ The level of gender-based violence in the war-affected areas as well as in IDPs communities is reduced, victims/survivors receive more professional support after incidents by mental therapy specialists.

✔ The amount of cases of human-trafficking in and from Ukraine is reduced, state and non-state agencies have higher capacity to effectively combat and prevent these practices, to better coordinate with each other; altogether it serves for the improvement of the security sector and migration management, strengthening state and civil society structures in the wake of the war.

✔ The current and potential internal conflicts in war-affected communities, occurrence or recurrence of violence there are addressed through local peace committee model by active citizens that are involved in resolving the most threatening and urgent problems that their communities face.

✔ Local activists in communities emphasize a dialogue and mediation, promote mutual understanding, build trust and create constructive problem-solving and joint action to prevent violence.

✔ The effectiveness of psychological support, trauma healing and recovery measures of people suffered from the war incidents is increased, their resilience is strengthened; employees of mental recovery centers gained improved skills to help their patients to overcome critical state, return to normal life and faster re-integrate in their home communities.

✔ The implemented measures complement other peace building initiatives that are held in Ukraine and serve to create a synergy between taken actions and involved agencies.

All activities are developed within the scope of our and our partners’ experience. Each of them will be implemented in cooperation with the relevant partner that specializes in such area. The different types of trainings will be implemented for the respective group of Kea actors, including participants from regions that were previously invaded and people who are displaced from the occupied territories. That will serve to create a synergy at the local level.

The project's implementation is supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by IFA (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding programme zivik.