OSCE-supported guide provides dialogue practitioners with a tool to evaluate their efforts

The Guide for Evaluation of Facilitated Dialogues, a methodological tool developed by Ukrainian experts with support from the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine is now available on the website in English and Ukrainian languages.  Facilitated dialogue helps representatives of different groups ease tensions, clarify differences in views and perspectives and, thus, re-establish communication and identify solutions to problems. It can be particularly useful for enhancing social cohesion, as well as planning and implementing reforms that may affect various interests. 

To increase the efficiency of dialogue-related efforts and provide stronger evidence of the benefits of this approach, the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine supported Ukrainian practitioners in developing the Guide for Evaluation of Facilitated Dialogues. Ukrainian experts Dr. Olha Krasovska and Dr. Tetiana Kyselova developed the methodology and practical guidance on how to evaluate dialogues facilitated by professionals at various levels. The Guide is based on an in-depth analysis of national and international practices, contributions from a dedicated working group with expertise in evaluation and dialogue facilitation, and piloting in five local dialogue processes. 

“The methodology presents a bottom-up approach to dialogue evaluation developed by people working directly with communities. The methodology uniquely provides not only specific guidelines, but also practical instruments - questionnaires and guides for interviews - that OSCE staff, implementing partners and dialogue facilitators can adapt and use to evaluate their dialogues,” said the methodology’s co-author and leading scholar in dialogue facilitation and conflict resolution, Dr. Tetiana Kyselova. 

“This methodology comes at a moment when dialogue, and therefore the evaluation of dialogue, has become critically important for Ukraine. As we developed it, we engaged closely with the Ukrainian Evaluation Association, whose members recognized its practical value and expressed a strong willingness to contribute to its implementation. I see this methodology not only as a technical tool, but as a shared commitment within our professional community to strengthen evidence‑informed dialogue practices across the country,” said Dr. Olha Krasovska, methodology’s co-author and a leading expert in evaluation.

The methodology makes it possible to assess the quality of the dialogue process as such, its initial results and impact helping practitioners design meaningful interventions with a lasting effect. 

This instrument will also be of interest to donors, international and local civil society organizations convening dialogues or working to enhance social cohesion. 

The Guide was developed as part of the project “Building Dialogue and Mediation Capacity for Conflict Prevention and Resolution” implemented by the OSCE Support Program for Ukraine in co-operation with the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and the National Association of Mediators of Ukraine in 2022-2025 with extrabudgetary financial support from OSCE participating States and partners. Please see the full list of donors here.