OSCE Project Co-ordinator pilots first training course for Ukrainians on dialogue as a tool for conflict management

KYIV, 6 July 2017 – The first group of 20 Ukrainians gathered today in Kyiv for a four-day intensive training course on dialogue competencies, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

The course was developed by a group of Ukrainian experts, representing various schools of dialogue facilitation and mediation. Its purpose is to build a network of people able to organize and run dialogue across the country, in a bid to enhance social cohesion, prevent or resolve conflicts between groups with differences and support the planning and implementation of reforms.     

Participants in the course are learning how to set up a framework for an inclusive and efficient dialogue, with a focus on building common understanding between people, as well as practical skills in managing discussions on problem issues in communities.

“Previously we focused on building the skills and knowledge of experts who already practice dialogue facilitation. With this course, we are hoping to expand the circle of Ukrainian dialogue facilitators, who in turn can further expand this culture of conflict-managing communication,” said Vaidotas Verba, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “This training is providing tools that are of extreme importance for local communities in a country that is not only dealing with the serious challenge of an ongoing conflict, but also needs to ensure large-scale reforms and transformations,” he said.

Participants in the training course, from Kyiv and three regions of the country, have various backgrounds and occupations – civic activists, officials, businessmen, schoolteachers and pensioners. As part of the learning process, they will work on their individual situations, developing dialogue plans to help resolve issues they deal with in their own professional activity.

To enroll in the course, participants first had to pass an online course on dialogue facilitation, developed by the Project Co-ordinator and placed on the e-learning platform Prometeus in March this year. More than 214 Ukrainians successfully passed the online course and are now eligible to take part in the classroom training. Following the piloting of the course in Kyiv, the Co-ordinator will offer this opportunity to dialogue beginners in various regions of the country, beginning in August of this year.