Georgia: Women struggle for peace in Georgia

August 18, 2008 – (kvinna till kvinna) While Georgian President Sakhashvili and Russian leaders Putin and Medvedev accuse each other of genocide and abuses, active efforts are being made for peace in South Caucasus. Women's organisations throughout the region are collaborating over the borders to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in South Caucasus.

For more than ten years, women's organisations from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijani and Russia have held a dialogue over the borders via their networks and have worked for peaceful solutions to the conflict in South Caucasus. They have educated women in negotiation technique and conflict resolution in the region, analysed peace plans and prepared to take part in the talks. Supported by UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security they have repeatedly urged the UN, EU and Georgian President Sakhashvili to begin peace talks between Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia and have put their expertise and experience at their disposal, but have still not had any response.

In the 15 years of stalemate in the conflict in South Caucasus, very few peace talks have taken place. In the attempts that have been made, it is chiefly men that have participated, including in the international community, despite women's organisations being ready and willing to take part.

The war in Georgia has contributed to increased distrust and fear between the various groups. Destroyed infrastructure and military demarcation have complicated communication and increased segregation. But it has not stopped the Caucasian women's movement from continuing its dialogue and supporting each other. Today they constitute one of the few communication channels for political cooperation in the region.

"We members of Fund Sukhumi, know only too well what war and being a refugee entails. We have worked for peace for eleven years and strive to improve women's role in peace talks in order to avoid new conflicts and war. It's men's policies that drive us to new bloodbaths. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts we've not managed to avoid conflict. This proves yet again the importance of women's participation at decision-making levels. Now when war is upon us we have to first and foremost focus on practicalities. At present we are helping people who have been forced to flee to Kutaisi from towns in west Georgia and from Gori and Tskhinvali. There are over a thousand refugees here and we expect a further three thousand," says Alla Gamacharia, President of the Fund Sukhumi organisation, one of the many active women's organisations in the region.

From:http://www.iktk.se/article/3305