Projects

Active projects (2005-2012):

Dialogue:
The project called “Humanitarian Dialogue for Human Security in Chechnya” (later renamed “Humanitarian Dialogue for Human Security in the North Caucasus” - HDNC) was first sketched out by FEWER Eurasia in early 2005. The pilot phase of the project started in Achkhoi-Martan district of Chechnya in 2005. Later the dialogue activities were extended to the rest of the republic and finally to the North Caucasus as a whole. The essence of the project is to build and maintain the process of rapprochement of positions and views on the peaceful reconstruction and prevention of violence by means of multi-stakeholder consultations and joint practical activities. Being motivated by humanitarian values the project does not pursue political goals and aims to strengthen human security, promote peaceful development and reconciliation processes.

Why humanitarian dialogue is necessary?
Humanitarian dialogue in the Northern Caucasus in necessary for the following reasons:
1. The success of the peaceful reconstruction directly depends on the degree of popular support of the federal and local authorities’ efforts to normalize the situation, provide security and boost socio-economic development. Extremism, radicalization, distrust towards authorities, violence and corruption must be overcome in the course of a constructive in-good-faith dialogue addressing specific issues. Otherwise, resentment and frustration will continue to find an expression in violence.
2. According to the Russian and international experience, true reconciliation is only possible through gradual overcoming of the conflict's consequences - or dealing with the past - clarification of the missing persons’ fate, rehabilitation of the conflict affected population, restoring justice, prevention of further abuses of rights such as abductions, and eventually - termination of all illegal violent activities (acts of terror, torture, extrajudicial executions etc.). Strengthening human security in a dialogue between the government and civil society should be supported by attainment of specific agreements and decisions as well as other visible signs of progressing towards true, just and lasting peace. Civil society can and should play an important role in strengthening the rule of law, elimination of impunity for crimes, and, in general, in enhancing security in the North Caucasus.
3. Recruitment to the illegal armed groups occurs among people who do not see any possibility to change their surrounding reality by peaceful means, but who at the same time, have not yet taken an implacable position. The authorities’ openness for the dialogue narrows the social base of extremism, reduces the effectiveness of its propaganda and helps to minimize the likelihood of civil violence.
4. The true consolidation of society is possible only through a multi-stakeholder dialogue, rehabilitation and reintegration of conflict affected persons into peaceful life, as well as reintegration of those who have laid down their arms and were granted amnesty. Dismantling and transformation of the shadow economy, creation of jobs and legal economic opportunities, development of small and medium-sized businesses can also be implemented only on the basis of confidence-building measures and constructive interaction between different social groups in the dialogue process.

Guiding principles for humanitarian dialogue:
1. All stakeholders and participants in the process of peaceful reconstruction, except for individuals, groups and organizations advocating for the use of unlawful violence are welcome to be part of a multilateral humanitarian dialogue.
2. Political issues and other issues causing political struggle should not be the subject of humanitarian dialogue.
3. Humanitarian dialogue is based on the principles of neutrality and non-intervention in matters which constitute the essence of the conflict. The subject of the dialogue is how to promote and ensure compliance with the Russian law, international humanitarian norms, constitutional rights of citizens, as well as national and local ethical standards.
4. International cooperation within the framework of the humanitarian dialogue is presupposes mutual openness, absence of political conditions for financial support, sustainability (with an objective assessment of the effectiveness of efforts), and continuous delivery of experiences and lessons learned to other organizations performing similar activities.

HDNC project partner organizations are: FEWER-Eurasia, Peace Mission General Lebed (PMGL), swisspeace.
The above-listed partner organizations, collaborating on the project, share a view that overcoming the consequences of the conflict as well as prevention of a new round of violence in the North Caucasus depends on addressing the following issues that form the current agenda for humanitarian dialogue:
- Strengthening the rule of law (prevention of enforced disappearances, torture, as well as other unlawful activities that aggravate social tensions and undermine peace;
- Search for the missing persons, clarification of their fate, contributing to the release of illegally detained persons, assistance with the detection of burial places, exhumation, identification and dignified reburial of the victims’ remains;
- Psycho-social and medical rehabilitation of conflict-affected persons and relatives of the missing persons as well as military servicemen and ex-combatants, women, children and other priority groups in need of urgent or/and long-term psychological assistance;
- The involvement of civil society organizations in humanitarian dialogue with the authorities for the sake of prevention of violence escalation, promotion of reconciliation, and strengthening the rule of law and lasting peace in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation.;
- constant and independent monitoring of the situation in the North Caucasus in order to effectively interact with the public and authorities on the issues that are listed above.

HDNC project is funded by Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Political Division IV) and currently SIDA (previously by Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In 2009-2010 Russian government started funding essential activities complementary to those within the scope of the HDNC project.