Working in partnership with the Tbilisi-based Internally Displaced Women´s Association (IDPWA), USIP Professional Training Program officers Anne Henderson and Mike Lekson conducted a four-day conflict management workshop. The workshop´s main goal was to bring together civil society and government practitioners from across the Caucasus to build skills in the fields of conflict analysis, problem solving, negotiation, and third party involvement in dispute resolution. Most of the participants were engaged in efforts to manage ongoing conflicts in the Caucasus. The workshop was designed to give participants opportunities to gain new perspectives on these conflicts, develop new strategies for managing them, practice relevant skills, and engage in constructive dialogue with representatives from other countries and organizations. The workshop was also designed to provide participants who work as trainers with new tools to expand their training repertoire.

The training program involved thirty-five participants from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Chechnya, Armenia, and Ukraine (Crimea). The majority of participants represented NGOs active in democratization and peacebuilding initiatives. In addition to the NGO representatives, workshop participants also included officials from government agencies, representatives of political parties, and journalists specializing in political and international affairs coverage.

Upon the completion of the workshop, participants emphasized that they had gained skills directly relevant to their conflict resolution work in the Caucasus. Among their comments were: "The workshop which you conducted is very useful for dealing with conflicts in Caucasus. All skills which I learned here, I will use in my future work"..."I liked this workshop very much, it is very valuable in the current situation for representatives of Caucasian governments and NGOs. These interactive workshops in the Caucasus should be conducted very often"..." I am an IDP from Sukhumi. Thanks to this seminar, I saw the events in Abkhazia from different perspectives, and put myself in the position of Abkhazia and Russia. The more we will have such seminars and meetings, the sooner we will create peace in Caucasus."

For many participants, one of the most valuable aspects of the workshop was the opportunity it provided to establish connections and share experiences with each other: "This workshop was very useful, because we could communicate with other participants and share their experiences and skills." The regional scope of the training was clearly an asset, and participants reported that they completed the program with a deepened understanding of each others´ perspectives on Caucasian conflicts. As one participant noted, "I now understand how important is to understand the other party, to feel yourself in his shoes.