OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Youth Contact Group presents two dialogue facilitation projects

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) held a workshop in the Ukrainian capital on 26-28 September 2015 for its new Kyiv Youth Contact Group. The OSCE initiative brings together 16 students from across Ukraine to discuss opportunities for dialogue facilitation with the aim of reducing tensions in the country.

Nine members of the group are from Donbas, four come from regions in eastern and central Ukraine and three are from western regions of the country.

On the first day of the workshop, participants exchanged their ideas with the SMM Chief Monitor Ertugrul Apakan; the Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine, Christian Schoenenberger, and the Deputy Head of the German Embassy in Kyiv, Wolfgang Bindseil.

“We believe that at times like this it’s crucially important to rebuild human connections. Dialogue will help reduce tensions and lead the country towards normalization and stabilization,” said Apakan.

Youth Contact Group participant Vladimir, who grew up in Luhansk, said: “I am really inspired from starting a dialogue process to connect people from the different regions of Ukraine.”

As a result of the workshop in Kyiv the students presented two projects to foster dialogue in Kyiv and in eastern Ukraine. In the coming months they will work together with SMM members to implement their ideas.