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Project IMPACT

“Making Visible the Economic and Social Costs of Frozen

Conflict and Benefits of Peace – Moldova-Transdniestria”

CONTEXT

The Moldova-Transdniestria conflict is considered by many in the international community as a “frozen conflict”, where enemy images, mutual misperceptions and mistrust among elites (and, 15 years after the armed confrontation, to some extent the population at large) have had a two-pronged result: (i) a low level of cooperation between the middle to higher levels of society across the conflict divide and (ii) high economic and social costs of the conflict, for which the awareness on the level of grassroots society is most of the time very low. While there have been some projects dealing, with mixed success, with strengthening cooperation in the realm of mass media, youth and civil society engagement in peacebuilding, there are almost no attempts to make directly visible the economic and social costs of the conflict and the quantifiable benefits for peace in a way that is easily accessible and appropriate for populations and elites on both sides of the river. There has also been a need for more sustained and inclusive initiatives, which tap into the creative and analytical potential for influencing conflict resolution of the expert communities on both banks of the river Nistru / Dniester and regionally.

AIM

The IMPACT project was developed with the specific aim of strengthening joint work of analytical NGOs and independent expert analysts from the two banks of the river Nistru / Dniester, Russia, Romania and Ukraine. The goal of this joint work is to make such a joint analysis of the socio-economic effects of the protracted political conflict and to develop policy proposals in order to contribute to developing effective strategies and options for transforming the conflict.

KEY ACTION AREAS

In order to meet the main purpose of the project - to constructively influence the political and executive bodies’ decision making and to inform public opinion in relation to the public costs of the Moldova-Transdniestria conflict – the foreseen activities of the project include:

• Engaging in practical cross-border expert cooperation, focused on investigating and making visible the economic and social costs of the conflict and benefits of peace in Moldova-Transdniestria;

• Experts across the conflict divide working together on advocating constructive policy alternatives in partnership with mass media;

• Strengthening the networking and mutual understanding of researchers and expert analysts, within a practical regional cooperation framework which includes Moldova-Transdniestria, Ukraine, Romania and Russia;

• Capacity building of expert community by sharing and exchange of international experience from similar and related conflict zones and in relevant fields;

• Developing the conflict-sensitive capacity and constructiveness of participating professional socio-economic researchers and analytical institutions.

PROJECT PARTNERS

• Romanian Peace Institute (PATRIR), Cluj-Napoca, Romania

• Center for Strategic Studies and Reforms (CISR), Chisinau

• Independent Centre for Analytical Research “New Age”, Tiraspol

• Joint Commission for Democratisation and Conciliation (JCDC), Chisinau

• Russian Information Agency “New Region” - Pridnestrovie, Tiraspol

• Center for Independent Television Development, Chisinau

FUNDING SUPPORT

Phase 1 (2007-09) – UK Conflict Prevention Pool, British Embassy, Chisinau

Phase 2 (2009-11) – funding search under way, project outline available on request

CONTACT

Denis Matveev, Project Director

DENIS.MATVEEV@GMAIL.COM

+40 741 610 170

+373 6996 4038

+373 778 56525

(English, Russian)