Brief information about Nonviolence International-NIS and CIS NGO Working Group on Conflict Management and Prevention

NGO “Non-violence International-NIS” is a public non-profitable self-managed organization working on territory of Russian Federation and CIS. The organization was founded in 1993 by a group of activists of peace-building as an independent non-profitable, non-governmental organization and a member of a network of international nongovernmental organizations.

The main objectives of Nonviolence International are:

1. Peace strengthening assistance.
2. Prevention of regional and ethnic conflicts.
3. Assistance in conflict management and humanitarian activities.

Work priorities of Nonviolence International are:

1. Maintaining contacts with NGOs and activists from the conflict regions of the CIS, collecting information about their activities, peace-making potential and requirements.
2. Aid to the NGOs in conflict zones in working out activity plans and searching for financial support for their implementation.
3. Assistance in organizing interaction between the NGOs and activists from different conflict regions.
4. Implementing joint peacebuilding projects with local NGOs from conflict zones.
5. Informing the international organizations, NGOs in the Russian Federation and countries of the CIS about the situation in conflict zones and about necessary right-protecting and peace-making activities.

Nonviolence International serves as a coordinating and administrative agency for the CIS NGO Working Group on Conflict Management and Prevention since 2001.

The CIS NGO Working Group on Conflict Management and Prevention has been established in 1998 in the framework of the follow-up process to Regional Conference to address the problems of refugees, displaced persons, other forms of involuntary displaced and returnees in the Commonwealth of Independent States and relevant neighboring states (CIS Conference on refugees).

The Working Group is a form of cooperation of people, NGOs and NGO associations of the states and regions Eurasia for the purpose of joining and coordinating efforts on preventing and managing conflicts.

It currently includes over 70 nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations and researchers throughout Eurasia, covering all CIS regions, which experienced violent conflicts over the past decade. The Working Group is subdivided into three regional sub-networks: in the Caucasus (including the Russian North Caucasus territories), the Central Asia and the Western CIS sub-networks.

The main goal of the Working Group is to assist conflict management and prevention on the territory of the CIS states.

The following directions of activities have been defined:

1. Helping NGOs in developing and implementing specific projects, aimed at conflict management and prevention;
2. Collecting information about NGOs and experts, working in the area of conflict management, disseminating and exchanging information, what must help unite NGO efforts;
3. Peacemaking actions;
4. Assisting the development of constructive relationships between governments, official structures on different levels and NGOs.

During the years of its existence, the Working Group implemented a number of large peacebuilding projects that aimed to serve one general goal - assist in preventing and managing conflicts, in strengthening peace and stability. Its practical activities include network and regional meetings, support for small peacebuilding projects in the CIS countries, information exchange, presenting the position of peacebuilding NGOs at different international forums.

Some examples of projects, implemented within the activity of the Working Group, are:

• The creation of an educating television centers for children “Guzel filim”, Krimea, Ukraine
• Developing contact between NGO and local communities in bordering districts of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and in bordering districts of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
• Supporting a joint monitoring mission to Georgia and Abkhazia, in order to monitor the developments around the Kodori valley
• Studying the Election campaign and the role of mass media in developing inter-ethnic tensions", Crimea, Ukraine
• Supporting of the functioning of a school class for Chechen refugee children in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Organizing a meeting of community leaders from both sides of the city of Kara-Suu, a city divided by a state border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
• Carrying out a number of studies on extremism and terrorism in the North Caucasus and Central Asia, Moldova

The Nonviolence International-NIS plays an active role in the Working Group every-day activities and in processes of its development. Nonviolence International coordinates fundraising activities and institutional support of the WG, represents WG for international organizations and other networks

Nonviolence International-NIS is implementing a number of large peacebuilding projects in The North Caucasus in cooperation with local NGOs. These are called Complex Peacebuilding Programs. They cover conflict regions of the North Caucasus: in Karachay-Cherkerssia, Prigorodny district of North Osetia, bordering districts of Chechnya and Dagestan, Kadar zone of Dagestan. Each complex program is a sustained and concentrated effort involving a number of local organizations to gradually improve the situation in a particular conflict area.

The programs are focused on resolving conflicts by reintegrating marginal ethnic and religious groups in social and economic life of the regions of their residence, by developing of dialogue between opposed ethnic communities and by implementing various cultural and educational projects.

During the last decade members of “Non-violence International” have been working in different areas of past potential and ongoing conflicts, such as Moldova-Transdnestria, Georgia-Abkhazia, Osetia-Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, Karachaevo Cherkessia, Stavropol region and other conflict regions. Our organization has an large practical peacebuilding experience and wide contacts with local activists in many conflict regions of the former USSR. This experience enables the successful implementation of large complex peacebuilding programs on a regional level.

Nonviolence International is a member of different regional and international networks and NGO associations. It is a member of CIS NGO Working Group on conflict Management and Prevention, Moscow Research Center on Human Rights, Nonviolent Peaceforce, the European Network for Civilian Peace Services, and others.

Contact information:

Moscow 109507, Samarkhandsky blvd. 15 corp. 5 apt. 30,
phone 291-11-42, fax 291-23-58
e-mail ninis@online.ru