Abstract
Based on the findings of qualitative empirical study, this article reveals that, in contrast to most violent conflicts in the world, the Ukrainian context is distinguished by the presence of a self-organized, self-aware and skilled local professional communities of mediators and dialogue facilitators. The article analyses each professional community and concludes that Ukrainian mediators and dialogue facilitators are capable to serve as independent actors in peacebuilding process, guiding their international colleagues and the government as for the best practices of mediation and dialogue. At the same time, both communities still experience pains of professional growth such as making choices between core methods and societal roles and they need external support. Additionally, the 2014 crisis has brought some opportunities concerning increased funding for mediation and dialogue, and the top-down pressure of the international community for greater use of these tools. These opportunities have, in turn, triggered some challenges such as an increased competition for funding and ideological tensions between “the peacemakers” and the other groups of Ukrainian civil society inspired by the military discourse.
Highlights
The Euromaidan and the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine prompted near immediate reaction of international community in terms of supporting civil society peacebuilding, reconciliation, and dialogue initiatives
Based on the findings of empirical research, this article has demonstrated that the role of civil society in peacebuilding within post-Euromaidan Ukrainian societal context is determined by the presence of a self-organized, self-aware and skilled local professional community of mediators and dialogue facilitators
Mediators present a professional community with more than 3,000 people trained in mediation since mid‐1990-s, and include around twenty national and regional mediation providers and training centers, united under an umbrella organization—the National Association of Mediators
Summary
The Euromaidan and the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine prompted near immediate reaction of international community in terms of supporting civil society peacebuilding, reconciliation, and dialogue initiatives. It reveals that, among other context-specific factors, presence, capacities and peacebuilding potential of local professional peacemakers—mediators and dialogue facilitators—distinguish Ukrainian conflict from other contexts. This article is a first attempt to attract attention of international scholarly and policy community to this phenomenon It suggests that mediators and dialogues facilitators should be treated as independent actors that drive peacebuilding processes in Ukraine while constituting an integral part of civil society by any definition. The second aim is to highlight challenges and opportunities that both professional communities face as consequences of the Euromaidan and armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine after 2014 To advance these aims, the first and the second parts of the article survey professional community of mediators and dialogue facilitators from a civil society perspective. Empirical data from the fieldwork was supplemented by information from Internet sources and analysis of the policy documents of Ukrainian government, mediators and dialogue facilitators
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