The Second Regional Conference held under general title “Caucasus Our Common Home” will focus on the women’s role in war and peace in the Caucasus. The conference will specifically  examine methods of pressure: political, religious, societal used against women during military activities and after and will seek to find solutions. The conference is seen as a forum for bringing concrete experiences women have in the field and developing joint platform for cooperation for peace and protection of women peace-makers. 

Organized by “Democracy Today”, an Armenian NGO, (in cooperation with partner  organizations from Azerbaijan and Georgia, founding members of initiative “Women of South Caucasus for Peace and Security in the Region: Peace Starts from Your Home”), the Conference aims at developing new platforms of cooperation and bringing women’s groups from entire Caucasus to collaboration.

Invited are women’s organizations from North and South Caucasus: Abkhazia, Adjaria, Adygheya, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Dagestan, Georgia, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, and North Ossetia, Nagorno Karabakh and South Ossetia.

The first regional conference in 2013 (Yerevan) demonstrated large interest of Caucasus women for networking and exchanging first-hand information about their own experiences. With new cooperative platforms, women learn about each other’s’ work, methodologies and achievements in promoting peace and human rights and create network for further promotion.

The second reginal confererence  “Caucasus our common home”  became possible by financial support og “Global fund for Women” and “Kvinna tilll Kvinna” foundation.  

Read more about conference   here  

Read also about “Young Women’s Peace Award in the Caucasus” 2014

The Young Women’s Peace Award in the Caucasus has been established to acknowledge the exceptional role and leadership potential of young women in building peace, empowering their communities and working to prevent conflicts and to restore and protect human rights. It has been inspired by the work of famous peace and human rights activist Anahit Bayandur (1931-2011), winner of Olaf Palme Peace Prize.

We understand that “Peace is not absence of war, but the ability to cope with it” and to sustain it. We see peace as a creative and powerful process that needs to be built and youth,  especially young women,  have much to invest in that process in the Caucasus  and beyond. This award is aimed at advancing and supporting the emergence of a new generation of peace builders. The aim is to recognize their contributions as well as to support and empower them to feel responsible for their communities and the wider world in which they live.

The award will be given to a young woman between the ages of 25-45 or alternatively an organization that invests in peace building in their community. The person or organization has to be known in the community for her/their   peace -building activities and for her/their promotion of peace, justice, and protection of human rights.  This can be through civic activism, academic research, journalism, writing, using social media as tool, etc.  This work should have lasting impact on the processes of peace and confidence building. The geographical location or location of current residence of the person or organization is not important, what matters is their work and the connection of this work to the Caucasus.