Ana Kuprava, Georgia (right), Maria Yasyan, Armenia (left), Shahana Afandieva, Azerbaijan (center). Bridges instead of borders: how the youth of the South Caucasus are learning to build peace Women
The South Caucasus has been associated with tension and conflict for decades. But today, a new generation in Georgia, Armenia – and Azerbaijan is building a peaceful future.
On the sidelines of the Youth Forum of the global meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations, held in Saudi Arabia, UN News Service correspondent Rim Abaza spoke with three girls – Ana Kuprava from Georgia, Maria Yasyan from Armenia and Shahana Afandieva from Azerbaijan. All of them are graduates of the Young Peacemakers program of the Alliance of Civilizations.
Ana is the initiator of the “From Borders to Bridges” project, which was supported by her friends Maria and Shahana. Ana, who grew up in Tbilisi, realized that although Georgia is a multi-ethnic country, many young people, especially in remote communities, have little opportunity to communicate with peers from other ethnic communities, let alone dialogue beyond the country’s borders.
“We live together – different nationalities, different religions. But when it comes to collaboration and cross-cultural interaction, it becomes an issue. We don’t interact with each other that much,” she said.
The project brought together 50 young people of Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani origin living in Georgia. Among them were residents of large cities and remote villages. Many of the participants had never spoken to representatives of other communities before, and now they were given the opportunity to communicate – through online modules and personal conversations on the streets of Tbilisi.
Shahana joined the project from Azerbaijan and participated in sessions dedicated to the prevention of extremism and radicalization among youth. In her opinion, the first step towards peace – is creating spaces where young people can speak openly and be heard without judgement.
Supreme Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos with participants of the Youth Forum.
“We come from a region with a complex history and a lack of trust,” she said. – But it all starts with the first step. The rest will come later.”
Shahana recalls how, even in the online format, trust gradually arose between the participants. Speaking about the results of the project, she noted that young people understood: even with limited resources, they can resist extremism by choosing dialogue, non-violent communication and tolerance.
“There is no need to be afraid of diversity. This is something beautiful and something to be proud of,” she emphasized.
Maria, connecting online with participants from Armenia, focused on the role of women in peacebuilding. According to her, despite language barriers and difficult backgrounds, the participants were sincerely interested in the project.
“They interrupted and asked questions. They were really interested. They want to learn more, they want to speak out loud – and they are the agents of change,” – remembers Maria.
Her message to young people around the world is clear: peace begins within each of us and begins right now.
Participants continued to write to Maria after the project was completed, adding her on social media and looking for ways to collaborate.
She also talked about another project she was running in her country helping young people – especially from rural areas – develop important skills. Some participants became inspired and began planning their own initiatives.
“At first they were not sure that they would succeed. But then they began to take the initiative,” Maria said.
The Young Peacemakers program taught participants how to build dialogue between generations, develop projects, assess risks and work with communities that may relate to such projects with mistrust.
“We live in a region that is moving from conflict to peace,” Shahana said. – Peace cannot be built only through geopolitics. We need a more inclusive, more humane world, and it’s up to the youth to build it.” safe, happy, felt valued,” she said.
“Be creative, take action and support each other,” Maria tells young people around the world.