ICCN’s vision for the new program and the work implemented over the past period From Tolerance to Civil Integration International Center on Conflict and Negotiation 2007 ICCN

THE MAIN DIRECTIONS Networking The Civil Council for the Protection of Basic Rights and Freedoms Working with Vulnerable Groups Research

Networking One of the key goals of the project “From Tolerance to Civil Integration” is to create a strong and active network that would extend to all major regions of Georgia, particularly those populated by ethnically and religiously mixed groups. Later, regional networks will play an important role in setting up focal points and consultations centers that will assist minority populations.

In the first stage of network-building, ICCN connected to national NGOs that are working on Human rights issues and, what is also very important, have well-established regional representations. In the next stage of network-building, the NGO coalition comprised organizations such as: Young Lawyer’s Association, Article 42, Human Rights Documentation Centre Movement Multinational Georgia The research that was carried out in the framework of the project started with the help of the NGO coalition as ICCN team requested the coalition to submit the list of interviewees, as well as make suggestions on the questionnaire. Involvement of the coalition in the preparatory stage of the research was aimed at increasing the sense of ownership.

Over the period September-March 2007, ICCN used each and every opportunity of trips to the regions (implemented in the framework of various project such as Mercy Corps) in order to build regional connections on the spot. Today, we already have a well-established representation in Akhalkalaki, a region populated by ethnic Armenians and Batumi, the capital of the autonomous republic Ajara that is significant for its ethnically and religiously diverse population.

The Civil Council The Civil Council for the Protection of Basic Rights and Freedoms was established in 2003, deriving from the Movement against Religious Intolerance in Georgia founded a year earlier. Today, the Civil Council comprises individuals active in the public field, representing both the secular society and religious denominations present in the country The work of the Civil Council targets issues such as religious minority rights, involvement of the religious and ethnic minority youth in the life of the society, intercultural dialogue and minority women’s rights In the framework of the EED-supported project, the Civil Council continues to perform its work, with the key directions being: Youth committee comprising representatives of religious minority and mainstream groups Women’s committee comprising ethnic and religious minority women representatives active in the public sphere PR committee involving young individuals (journalists from ethnic and religious minority groups)

Work with Vulnerable Groups The project “From Tolerance to Civil Integration” targets the four key target groups, namely: The IDPs Muslim Meskhetians Religious Minorities Ethnic Minorities The period September-March was intense in terms of the work carried out in relation to religious and ethnic minorities, particularly the Assyrian minority group and the Catholic community. Given the tension and hostility demonstrated to the Assyrian community from certain mainstream group representatives, ICCN organized and facilitated a number of meetings involving the Assyrian community leaders, the government representatives and the journalists. Here, it is important to note that journalists played quite a negative role in reinforcing the negative image of the Assyrian community in the society Several meetings were held in order to deal with the tensions between the Catholic and mainstream communities in Akhaltsikhe area. The tensions derive from the dispute the communities have over the church – Ivlita that both religious denominations are performing their services in.

Research As mentioned earlier, the preparatory stage of the research involved the NGO coalition while the actual research implementation implied the following stages: Preparing the questionnaire Conducting pilot-stage interviews. Interviewed were 5 experts who then gave their feedback on the questionnaire Selecting Interviewers and providing one-day training for them Gathering the data (decoded) and analyzing it Writing the analysis and conclusion

Vision for the coming project Networking: regional representation will be strengthened and expanded; local representative and focal points established The Civil Council will become more and more independent as suggested by the External Evaluation The Civil Council will expand to the regions, thus joining the regional network

ICCN as an important role-player in strengthening the Civil Society ICCN will continue its active involvement in establishing and promoting the new organizations that are aimed at creating tolerant environment and engaging in intercultural dialogue ICCN will continue educational mission that is aimed at: Building Bridges between Minority and Majority Groups Fostering Tolerance and non-violence in the educational system: This will be done though peer-mediation. Given the ongoing reforms in the educational system and the fight the government announced to juvenile crime, ICCN believes it is crucial to find peaceful ways of dealing with the problem Other educational Activities: Publications, seminars, presentations

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