Conflict resolution in the Donbas and social reintegration in the setting of ongoing violence: challenges and tasks

Dmytro Lubinets, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories in Donetska, Luhanska oblasts and Crimea, the City of Sevastopol, National Minorities and International Relations

Marek Safin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Slovakia to Ukraine, tbc

Anka Feldhusen, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ukraine

Alexandre Pavlichenko, СivilM+ Coordinating board member/UGSPL Kyiv

Framing the issue of re-integration

The goal of this session is to form a common working definition of re-integration for the following discussions and to highlight existing divergences on the issue of re-integration among stakeholders involved, as they hinder the possibilities for joint action. What are the core challenges and strategic goals of the re-integration in the Ukrainian context? What contradictions of visions and approaches among the actors may hinder the process? What steps and decisions can build a stable basement for the successful reintegration in the future?

1. Which legislation work has to be done by the Ukrainian Parliament to facilitate the re-integration of conflict affected population? What are the main challenges in this process?

Artjom Salikhov, Advisor to the Minister for veterans’ affairs, temporary occupied territories and internally displaced persons, Kyiv, Ukraine

2. Based on the experience of the conflict resolution in other contexts and the current experience in Ukraine, which steps would the EU advise to go for Ukrainian stakeholders to facilitate re-integration of population?

A. Perkauskiene, European External Action Service Brussels/EEAS Eastern partnership, regional cooperation & OSCE, tbc

3. What are the experiences of re-integraion from other conflict regions and how can they be applied regarding the specificy of the Ukrainian case?

Branka Sesto, political and human rights expert, Croatia

4. “Russian factor” – What has to be considered about the re-integration process-es in Ukraine in the context of Russia’s strong influence on conflict manage-ment in the post-Soviet space and beyond?

Alexander Morozov, co-director of the Russian Studies Center Boris Nemtsov at Charles University (Prague)

5. Different perspectives on re-integration – Connecting a dialogue approach and transitional justice

Oleg Martynenko, Head of the analytical department of UHHRU, CivilM+, Kyiv

Moderation:

Andriy Kulykov, Founder, Hromadske Radio, Kyiv

Panel discussions in several smaller groups, aimed to establish a comprehensive map of tasks, mandates, responsibilities and interconnections between actors and structures. Risks and perspectives will be also presented in the conference materials for the conference.

1.      National policies of re-integration in Ukraine

What underlying assumptions and approaches need to be embedded into the state policies to facilitate the re-integration of population?

Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Member of the Legal Reform Commission (Chairman of the Working Group on Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Terri-tories)

Valeryj Novikov, Luhansk Human Rights Center “Alternativa” Kyiv, CivilM+

Tetyana Durnieva, Executive Director of “Civil Holding Group of Influence” Kyiv

2.      International supporting mechanisms

To what extent do the means and ways of international support and cooperation for the conflict resolution in Ukraine correspond to the needs and expectations in Ukraine?

Oleksii Makeiev, Political Director, Directorate General for Policy Ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine)

Peter M. Wagner, Head of the Support Group for Ukraine at the European Commission

Ulrich Brandenburg, Ambassador (ret.), Coordinator, Working Group on Economic Affairs and Rehabilitation in Trilateral Contact Group

Etienne de Poncins, Ambassodor of France in Ukraine

Oleksandra Matviychuk, Center for Civil Leberties Ukraine, member of CivilM+ (Kyiv, Ukraine)

Oleksiy Haran, Research Director, Democratic Initiatives Foundation (Kyiv, Ukraine)

Moderation:

Stefan Melle, DRA, Berlin

3.      Human dimensions

What has to be considered, to rebuild social trust and cohesion as a basis for a successful re-integration in the conflict region?

Julia Sokolovska, Minister of social policy of Ukraine, tbc

Irina Stepanova, Proliska humanitarian mission

Pierre Hazan, transitional justice expert, curator of current exhibition ‘War and Peace’ in Geneva

Noel Calhoun, Deputy UNHCR Representative in Ukraine

Improvement of the humanitarian situation in the grey zone as a basis for the reintegration and sustainable peace in the conflict region

Taking stock on the realities of 4 settlements near the contact line, this panel aims to establish an overview of critical issues and a strategic vision for the economic and social re-construction of the conflict region (e.g. Toretsk, Zolote, Svitlodarsk, Kur-diumivka)

Method of fish-bowl

1. Urgent issues: What are the existing mechanisms of problem management?
2. Challenges: What is (being & to be) done?
3. Operative level: who are the actors of change and what are thair mandats, approaches and interdependences?

Discussion with invited representatives of Ukrainian and international institutions, international civil society:

Mykhailo Shevchenko, Deputy Chairman of the MCA Stanitsa-Luganskaya, Ukraine

Natalia Zhurbenko, civic activist, Stanitsa-Luganskaya, Ukraine

Marina Danylkina, civic activist, Zolote, Ukraine

Eugene Vasilyeva, civic activist, Avdiivka, Ukraine

Vera Khomenko, civic activist, Avdiivka, Ukraine

Vladimir Yelets, NGO Your New Town, Toretsk, Ukraine

Konstantin Reutsky, Vostok-SOS, Kiev, Ukraine

Julia Sokolovska, Minister of social policy of Ukraine, tbc

Ralph Possekel, Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft, Germany

Katharine Quinn-Judge, International Crisis Group, Program Director, Europe and Central Asia, tbc

Anthony Foreman, Peaceful Change Initiative

Kostiantyn Reutskyi, Vostok-SOS, Kyiv

Moderation:

Andriy Kulykov, Hromadske Radio, Kyiv

Lead: UHHRU

Lead: DRA Civil Society Resource Center Drukarnia

Lead: Women’s Initiatives for Peace in Donbas

Lead: Center of Civic Liberties

Lead: UHHRU / «Ideas of Change»/ DRA

Lead: DRA Civil Society Resource Center Drukarnia

Lead: «Alternatyva»/”Center for Humanitarian Dialogue”

Lead: DRA Civil Society Resource Center Drukarnia

Lead: NGO «GROUP OF INFLUENCE»