International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN)

ICCN starts implementation of new program supported by EED. The goal of the program is

More pluralistic and non-violent democratic environment is created in Georgia including conflict prone areas bordering South Ossetia and Abkahzia and ethnic minority populated area in Samtskhe Javakheti .

ICCN program for 2012-2014 has three program objectives:

Project Objective 1 Journalists and the media in the target regions play a constructive role in peace-building efforts

Project Objective 2 Population in conflict-affected and remote regions actively participate in peace building efforts in their communities

Project Objective 3 ICCN is a stronger civil society actor with increased organizational capacities and improved sustainability

German Church Development Service - EED is German faith-based development organization working in different parts of the world. http://www.eed.de/

The International Centre on Conflict and Negotiation is one of the important partner organizations of EED in Georgia. The history of EED-ICCN cooperation goes back to 2004 and the first programme was funded by EED in 2005. It was a pilot project aimed at awareness rising on minority rights and civil integration issues in Georgia that was to be followed by a long-term programme. EED supported ICCN in organizational and Institutional development process. It was preparation phase before implementation of three year strategic program: Creating Discourse and Instruments for Non-violent Management of Disputes, Civil Integration and promotion of Liberal Values

Since 2003 ICCN acts the Regional Secretariat for the Caucasus for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), a world-wide civil society-led network aiming to build a new international consensus on peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict. GPPAC works on strengthening civil society networks for peace and security by linking local, national, regional, and global levels of action and effective engagement with governments, the UN system and regional organizations (www.gppac.net). It is structured into fifteen regional networks and governed by an International Steering Group.

The wars over Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the early 1990s have created significant grievances on all sides. Large communities of people were affected by different forms of violence that have profoundly influenced their lives for many years.

After a period of relative stagnation, in recent years the conditions for encounter and dialogue across the Abkhazian-Georgian and South Ossetian-Georgian conflict lines have deteriorated. Since the summer of 2004, movement across the South Ossetian-Georgian boundary line has been significantly restrained. In the Abkhazian-Georgian context, too, opportunities for dialogue have deteriorated since the summer of 2006.