From 1998 to 2003, AED’s Young Leaders for Peace and Development program worked with youth from both sides of the Georgia-Abkhaz conflict to establish a foundation of trust, confidence, and understanding between their communities. Building a collaborative network of youth clubs and NGOs, the young leaders formed a constituency for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and a foundation for long-term economic development. One result of that work is the Academy for Peace and Development, a youth created Georgian NGO to support peace and conflict resolution.
When the latest conflict began, Giorgi Kakuli was safe in Poland, where he was running a conference for the Academy for Peace and Development. He returned home shortly thereafter to mobilize humanitarian help for internally displaced people in the western region of Georgia. In a recent email, Giorgi had this to say about the current struggle:
“I am definitely deeply concerned about the situation, as the lives of innocent civilians are in danger. All civilized world should be always very much concerned and should take actions to prevent such crises situations. I believe that peace will come soon, but you cannot bring back the lives that have been lost.”
For more information, contact Mark Ketcham mketcham@aed.org.
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