DVV International’s ongoing project, financed by the EU and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is designed to enhance peaceful cross-border relations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and to foster cross-border and regional cooperation, thus mitigating the threats to sustained peace in Central Asia. In total, 2,300 border residents of three villages in the Batken Region of Kyrgyzstan, with their counterparts across the border in three neighbouring villages of Isfara District of Tajikistan, will be involved in the project action as direct target groups. The project puts emphasis on the particular roles of traditional leaders, young people and women by planning special programmes and activities for these target groups.
Despite the pandemic and the limitations caused by the conflict, the project has recently concluded its first year of active implementation. A variety of educational, dialogue, and community mobilisation activities have significantly contributed to fighting stereotypes, and to supporting tolerance, open-mindedness and a culture of constructive communication among border residents. The project also contributes to building a strong basis for further sustainable and viable actions towards social-economic development, non-conflict and non-violent coexistence by building and equipping two community learning centres (CLCs).
The project activities include:
1) strengthening the operational and institutional capacity of Kyrgyz and Tajik CSOs and enhancing coordination (networking) among them to reduce factors causing radicalization potentially leading to violent conflict and extremism;
2) creating viable and effectively operating community-based structures (learning centres) as spaces for community security dialogue, social development and community mobilization, which can also serve as a platform for cooperation between state and non-state actors;
3) establishing offers of global citizenship education, education for the prevention of violent extremism, and community security dialogue, to empower traditional leaders, women and youth to foster cross-border confidence-building and constructive conflict transformation; and
4) a business development component in the cross-border region to improve economic perspectives and cooperation of Kyrgyz and Tajik communities.
Recent events have demonstrated once again the need to engage with the border communities to enhance their resilience to hate speech, provocations and radicalization, all of which can lead to violent conflict. The Peaceful Villages Evolvement project team, together with local stakeholders, will continue their efforts to create alternatives to violence by providing conflict transformation skills, fostering closer ties within communities, as well as encouraging tolerance towards their neighbours.