OSCE Centre supports training of community mediators in Kyrgyzstan

An OSCE-supported training course on mediation skills for active residents and community leaders from five communities in northern Kyrgyzstan started 9 July 2011 in the Kashka-Suu resort near Bishkek. The training was organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Child's Rights Defenders League, a non-governmental organization.

Mediation experts from Ukraine are teaching the four-day training course for more than 40 participants. The course focuses on topics such as conflict, peace-building, conflict mapping and mediation skills. It also looks at methods suitable for different conflict situations, and the role of groups and networks.

The course aims to equip the participants with the skills they need to help mitigate potential conflicts in the five northern communities where they live. In the autumn, they will take part in an advanced course where they will discuss problems they have identified in their communities.

The training course is part of the OSCE Centre’s work to improve inter-ethnic relations in Kyrgyzstan's north.