Europe and South Caucasus

We work in Europe in countries dealing with the challenges of protracted conflict, with a focus on Ukraine, South Caucasus, and Western Balkans. We seek to build new channels and entry points that allow people living in divided societies to establish trust in one another and in institutions.

Ordinary citizens experience protracted conflict through:

the separation of communities by militarised lines of contact, maintaining a sense of insecurity and reducing opportunities for people to meet, travel and protect their livelihoods

large numbers of victims of violent conflict, including IDPs, refugees, families of war victims, and veterans, most of whom are often not fully integrated into society or have not received support or redress

a wide-reaching sense of individual disempowerment as a consequence of great-power competition in the region, which further dissuades citizens from political participation

How we respond at the local level

We help to build skills among local government and civil society at the community level to identify drivers of conflict, and to deal with conflicts in a reconciliatory way.

How we respond at the national level

We engage decision makers in dialogue on issues related to the conflict, sharing international experience on how conflict can be managed at different stages of its escalation.

How we respond at the international level

We advocate for conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding approaches to be integrated into the programming of international actors. We share evidence-based learning that can inform the design of international approaches to the region.