In 2018, the Mediation and Dialogue Research Center (MDRC) initiated a series of public lectures called “Peaceland Talks” to bring current academic research on conflict transformation and the Russian aggression against Ukraine to the attention of diplomats and peace practitioners working on the ground. The offline and online lectures gathered a vibrant community of practice to discuss difficult and politically sensitive peacebuilding topics.

• May 23, 2018: Maxym Ieligulashvili, independent researcher and dialogue facilitator, and Olesya Geraschenko, PhD candidate, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. “Visual Art as a Tool of Dialogue and Peacebuilding in Ukraine.” Click here to see a recording of the lecture.
• May 21, 2018: Dr Tetiana Kalenychenko, associate professor, Drahomanov National Pedagogical University “The Religious Component of Sociopolitical Conflict in and Around Ukraine (2013-2017).”  Click here to see a recording of the lecture.
• April 17, 2018: Dr Simon Schlegel, Germany’s Civil Peace Service project in Kyiv. “Empowering Civil Society for a Transformation of Commemorative Culture” and “The Power of Benefaction: Clientelism and Identity Politics in the Context of Conflict.” Click here to see a recording of the lecture.

The MDRC conducted a comprehensive analysis of major trends in civil society peacebuilding in Ukraine in cooperation with the Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative, Switzerland in 2019. In 2020, the MDRC then comprehensively mapped Ukrainian and international actors active in mediation, dialogue and peacebuilding in the country in cooperation with the international platform CivilMPlus. Additionally, the MDRC has conducted nonpublic bespoke mappings of Ukrainian civil society, including women’s organizations, for various INGOs.

The MDRC, in cooperation with the Center for Peace Mediation at European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, and Peaceful Change Initiative, UK, conducted qualitative and quantitative studies of track two dialogues in Ukraine as well as those involving Ukrainian and Russian citizens from 2014-2017. The studies resulted in academic publications, a policy brief and broader outreach to the OSCE, UN agencies and other international organizations