Dialogue is a fully-fledged peacebuilding tool. Moving from this assumption, three National Dialogue Conferences have been organised for the past three years in Helsinki: a series of meetings that include operators and stakeholders at international level, in the belief that dialogue among and inside nations may lead societies through a deep path of change, with intensive and positive effects, especially in the long term.
In this occasion, networking key-role at international level emerges: the variety of interests and opportunities at stake in different contexts, in facts, underpins the existence of a series of actors that may encourage – as much as definitely compromise – dialogue processes. These dynamics were, for this year National Dialogue Conference, the discussion focus: “Influences at regional and local level”.
On 5th and 6th of April, also COSV has taken part at the event, by participating to the session “Local Dialogue in the absence of National Dialogue”, a debate centred on middle-eastern area, with a special focus on Syria and Libya. The various conflicts facing Middle East to be solved clearly need national dialogue, but this necessity everyday runs counter war intensity and political space insufficiency.
Reflecting on Middle Eastern conflicts it is impossible to concentrate on state internal dynamics (if such a state definition were still possible), because actually countries like Syria have become a conflict arena for regional and international actors.
In this kind of conflict, crisis solution is not traceable uniquely in Syrians’ hands and the path that leads to a genuine “national dialogue” is long and full of obstacles. However, Syrian society role in determining peace or war remains of paramount importance.
What we wish is the reaching of a sustainable solution that will raise local communities around the same discussion table, built on mutual needs and benefits. In this sense, we have pointed out what we believe to be, in Middle Eastern approach, our “best practice” to share with stakeholders and peacebuilding operators: the encouragement of socio-economic integration dynamics at local level, among communities, across borders.
