Black Sea Peacebuilding Network
The Black Sea Peacebuilding Network (BSPN) is designed to increase civil society contribution to conflict resolution in the Black Sea region. BSPN has allowed civil society to work towards a common goal and to produce positive precedents. The project has created networks for national and regional civil societies to build greater regional capacity in conflict transformation by operating at the grassroots level in the region.
In 2010 the Expert Councils in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova were accompanied by new Expert Councils in the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine. In all member countries of the network the Expert Councils for Conflict Transformation and Peace Initiatives elaborate alternative and unbiased recommendations for conflict resolution and peace initiatives.
The Black Sea Peacebuilding Network in 2012
With the support of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the new “Black Sea Peacebuilding Network” project will be continued with a focus on deepening the network, and on developing bilateral and multilateral projects. In 2012, the network will expand not just internally by ensuring inclusiveness to marginalized actors of the active peacebuilding community in the Black Sea Region, but also externally by improving communication with regional partners, key decision-making national and international actors. One of the CMI’s main goals is to enable civil society information sharing and networking on a regional level.
The project was built and developed upon extensive lessons learned and previous work of the partner organisations involved in peacebuilding initiatives in the region. The project is aimed at working towards greater capacity building in conflict transformation on the grass-root level in the seven countries in order to provide solid foundations for sustainable peace in the Black Sea Region.
The overall goal of the project is to enable civil society organisations in the seven Black Sea countries dealing with conflicts to reach a critical mass in order to become a full-fledged stakeholders in conflict resolution, and thus to pressure regional governments to work towards peace in the region.The anticipated impact is enhanced national civil society peacebuilding capacity, ultimately aimed at promoting sustainable peace in the Black Sea Region.
The Expert Councils for Conflict Transformation and Peace Initiatives in each country are assisted in their endeavour by CMI’s local partners who act at a national level as a resource centre for the active peacebuilding community.
Background
The Black Sea Peacebuilding Network Project was launched by CMI in 2009 as a continuation of a three years (2006-2009) project designed to increase civil society contribution to conflict resolution in connection with the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in the Black Sea region.
In 2009 the project evolved, and with the support of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs it focused on creating transparent, self-ruling civil society structures (the Expert Councils for Conflict Resolution/Transformation and Peace Initiatives) in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and one year later in Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The Peacebuilding Expert Councils were created with the declared goal to formulate alternative and unbiased recommendations on conflict resolution and peace initiatives in the respective countries.
Our Goal and Objectives
The overall goal of the project is to enable civil society organisations in the seven Black Sea countries dealing with conflicts to reach a critical mass in order to become a full-fledged stakeholders in conflict resolution, and thus to pressure regional governments to work towards peace in the region.The anticipated impact is enhanced national civil society peacebuilding capacity, ultimately aimed at promoting sustainable peace in the Black Sea Region.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- To strengthen peacebuilding capacities at the civil-society level by creating and sustaining a public discourse on peace-building issues through forums in the seven partner countries.
- To strengthen and enlarge the regional “Black Sea Peacebuilding Network”
- To ensure efficient communication and influence at the levels of EU and national governments, media and the broader public.
The anticipated impact is an enhanced national civil society peacebuilding capacity, ultimately aimed at promoting sustainable peace in the Black Sea Region.
Regional Meetings of the Black Sea Peacebuilding Network
2011 Regional Meeting
The third annual regional meeting took place in Istanbul where over 30 experts from the Black Sea region met on December 9-11, 2011 to share insights on conflicts in the region. The participants and experts from seven BSPN countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine gave thematic presentations on topics such as the Kurdish question, North and South Caucasus conflicts, Transnistria, European peacebuilding initiatives and the impact of the global financial crisis on the region. The presentations were divided into two larger categories: “The Black Sea region: Possibilities for Conflicts Transformations” and “Regional Cooperation in Black Sea Region.”
The meeting was organized by CMI and co-hosted by the Turkish Citizens' Assembly (HCA).
2010 Regional Meeting
In December 2010 the second annual regional meeting of the Black Sea Peacebuilding Network took place in Kiev. The meeting brought together representatives of the peacebuilding expert councils from seven countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The participants discussed thematic topics (Black Sea countries: actors and power analysis; and peace potential in the Black Sea region) as well as project implementation in 2010 and plans for the future.
2009 Regional Meeting
In December 2009 Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) held a one-day dialogue meeting in Tbilisi that convened the representatives of CMI’s regional partner organizations, as well as selected members of the Peacebuilding Expert Councils from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. A report of the meeting can be found here.
Our Partners
Ukraine
Association of Middle East Studies
http://www.uames.org.ua/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=5〈=en
Founded on April 7, 1994, the Association of Middle East Studies, Kyiv, (AMES) is a think tank dedicated to the analysis of Middle Eastern politics, Ukrainian foreign and domestic policies, Black Sea security, Muslim and other minorities' issues with a particular focus on Crimea. AMES has been a member of the Civic Council under the Ukrainian Ministry for Foreign Affairs since 2003. Since 2008 AMES has been increasingly engaged in international programs for regional conflict resolution and peace-building. AMES is a member of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflicts (GPPAC) – an international civic network that extensively cooperates with the European Commission, the UN systems and other international agencies.
Turkey
Helsinki Citizens' Assembly
Based in Istanbul, the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly – Turkey (HCA) is an autonomous, non-profit, non-governmental organization working to advance fundamental rights and freedoms, peace, democracy and pluralism. Founded in 1988, HCA is associated with a network of other "Helsinki" organizations throughout Europe.
Russian Federation
Carnegie Moscow Center
http://www.carnegie.ru/?lang=en
The Carnegie Moscow Center was established as a subdivision of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Washington, DC) and started its activities in 1994. Beyond the Moscow Center, the Carnegie Endowment maintains offices in Beijing, Beirut and Brussels, making it the world’s first global research organization.
Republic of Moldova
Institute for Public Policy
http://ipp.md/proiecte1.php?l=en&id=37
Institute for Public Policy is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, committed to the values of individual liberty, democratic society, rule of law and free market economy. Through research, publications, policy recommendations and public forums, the Institute provides the political, business and academic communities and media leadership with a deep analysis of public policy issues confronting our society in order to improve the policy-making process.
Georgia
Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies
The Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS) is an independent, non-profit think tank dedicated to improving public-policy decision-making in Georgia through research and analysis, training of policy-makers and policy analysts and public education about strategic issues—domestic and international—facing Georgia and the South Caucasus.
Armenia
The International Center for Human Development
The International Center for Human Development (ICHD or the Center) was established in March, 2000 and since then has been considered one of the leading think tanks in the South Caucasus. For already seven years ICHD has adhered to its main principles and objectives, namely to unite the most prominent representatives of the public, scientific, cultural, and business sectors of the region, to strengthen the democratic mechanisms and to foster free market values, while simultaneously crafting regional collaboration and economic development strategies for the countries of the Caucasus.
Azerbaijan
Helsinki Citizens Assembly - Azerbaijan National Committee
Since 1992, HCA ANC has had a long history in fighting human rights violations. During and after the Karabach war, HCA ANC has propagated peace as the only way to solve the conflict. As a human rights organisation it has a long history of fighting human rights violations in personal cases and it also worked extensively on cross border activities with Armenia during the Karabakh war. HCA ANC works in very close relation with its partners in Armenia on peacebuilding processes within the frame of people-to-people diplomacy.