Americans for Artsakh recently completed a training project in good governance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stepanakert. The project focused on two primary subject areas: communications and conflict resolution. It took place from February 26 to March 7, 2009, and was conducted by Mr. Garbis Korajian, who is an expert in governance training and has run similar courses in several other countries. Funding was provided by the Armenian General Benevolent Union.
There were a total of twenty-two participants in the course, representing not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also including four members from the Office of the President, two from the National Assembly, and two from the Staff of the Government. The subject areas covered are the first two of six planned components. Although the course as a whole was primarily intended for staff members at the Ministry, participants were also invited from other governmental offices because of the wide applicability of these fields to many aspects of governance. Special support was provided by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vardan Barseghian, and First Secretary, Mr. Karen Kostandyan.
The goal of the communications portion of the training was to give the participants hands-on experience in critical communication skills, from making public presentations to dealing with the media. The emphasis was mostly on the practical aspects of communication. At the end of the course, the participants selected topics to present to the group as a whole, each of which had a specific, pre-determined intended audience. Some of the topics included, “The Role and Importance of Creating a Just Society,” “The Problem of Unemployment in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic: Causes,” and “The Role and Structure of Standing Committees in the Parliament of Artsakh.” The broad range of subjects generated lively discussions among the group, and allowed the participants to fully appreciate the overall purpose of the exercise.
In the second portion of the workshop, which was titled, “Understanding Conflict and Conflict Resolution Methods,” the participants were introduced to the concepts of negotiation, mediation, arbitration, consensus building, and reconciliation. In addition, they were given the opportunity to simulate negotiations over the conflict in the region. In this simulation, roles and fictitious titles were assigned to specific members of the group, creating an atmosphere that was as close to reality as possible. Although some noted the psychologically heavy nature of this task, the fact that it was presented in such a realistic manner proved rewarding in the end as it brought home the importance of solving the conflict.
AFA plans to expand upon its series of training courses for the government and eventually offer courses in several governmental offices in a variety of areas, including law, public administration, management, and other fields, AFA Executive Director Sarah Ludwig reported to PanARMENIAN.Net.
