Duration: Ongoing (since 2018)
Objective: To spread the use of Social Mediation as a tool for conflict resolution.
In
May 2018 ICLAIM produced a
Handbook for professionals on Social Mediation in Cyprus, which aims to inform and assist practitioners such as public servants, NGO staff and members, community workers, youth workers, teachers, non-formal trainers and educators with the use of Social Mediation as a conflict resolution method in a social or professional setting. In
July 2018 a pilot workshop introduced the content of the Handbook to a group of individuals from the education, NGO, and law enforcement sectors. This activity was then followed by four workshops under the
Social Mediation in Practice project from
November 2019 to March 2020, which were supported by the United Kingdom High Commission in Cyprus. Each of the two-day workshops had a bi-communal character and took place along the United Nations administered buffer zone, at the Famagusta Avenue Garage in Deryneia, the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia, and the premises of UCLan Cyprus in Pyla. This project concluded in
September 2020, with the
Social Mediation Conference and the launch of the
Social Mediators’ Network. Participants included trained Social Mediators from both Cypriot communities, who had participated in the workshops mentioned above. Based on the feedback, the ideas and the areas prioritised by the workshop participants, we produced a report summarising the main points on the conference. You can access the report through the link below.
The Social Mediators’ Network aims to facilitate the long-term communication among trained social mediators. It has a horizontal structure, which allows peer-to-peer collaboration and currently counts about 30 members, from Europe, Africa, and Asia.
In February and March 2021 ICLAIM continued its activities on Social Mediation under the theme of
Social Mediation for Social Transitions. The workshops were delivered by ICLAIM with the support of UCLan Cyprus and a grant from the University of Central Lancashire Centre for Sustainable Transitions (UCLan CST). Building on previous experience, the activities trained individuals in Social Mediation through a two-day online workshop, followed by an online Roundtable Discussion, which aimed at bringing together old and new Social Mediators’ Network members, to set priorities and identify useful approaches in using Social Mediation in societies characterised by continuous social, political, economic and technological transitions. The
Manual on Social Mediation for Social Transitions, is the result of this project and envisages to expand the contexts within which Social Mediation can be employed as a conflict resolution tool.
From November 2021 to January 2022, ICLAIM and UCLan Cyprus continued their successful collaboration with the British High Commission in Nicosia, and launched a new project on
Identity, Culture & Social Mediation for Cyprus. The aim of the project was to build specifically on the project’s potential as a peacebuilding tool. The project took a deeper look on the socio-cultural realities in Cyprus across the continuous division of the island, addressing questions of identity and culture across all Cypriot communities, and religious groups. Following the activities under the project, we published the
Social Mediation Manual on Culture in Divided Societies, which was enriched with practical recommendations, theoretical and empirical data, addressed to local and international networks working on Peacebuilding.
International Recognition!
The project has enjoyed widespread international recognition for its potential! Following the initial success of the project in Cyprus, Social Mediation in Practice received the 2020 European Citizen Prize from the European Parliament. The symbolic award is given annually to projects and initiatives that facilitate cross-border cooperation or promote mutual understanding within the European Union.
In January 2022, the project was selected as one of five Global Solutions across the world to support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project was presented across the globe at the
2022 Global Solutions Forum in Dubai, organised by the the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), following a competition organised during the
SDSN Initiatives Lab, co-organised with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). GIZ has been supporting ICLAIM’s ongoing efforts to expand the project globally, in collaboration with organisations from across the world.
Duration of project: 1st August 2021 – 28 February 2022
Objective: To examine, detect, and understand the criminal activities of smuggling and trafficking across the UN-controlled buffer zone, and increase awareness as to how lives and interests are endangered by various illegal activities.
The project aimed to enhance the sustainability of the island at an intercommunal, national and international setting by increasing awareness as to how lives and interests at stake are endangered by various illegal activities, particularly smuggling of illicit goods, smuggling of persons and human trafficking. An ancillary objective of the project is to enhance the ethical literacy, performance effectiveness of NGO members, law enforcement, legal and justice sectors who engage in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal activities across the Green Line. It is thus a capacity building research project, that aims at both educating and spreading awareness, from frontline workers to law makers, law enforcement agencies and other experts as well as students, young people and the general public, through a two-way transfer of knowledge.
The project’s objectives were completed through a launch event on prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution for smuggling and trafficking of persons across the Green Line. The event brought together various stakeholders, inviting them to provide a sustainable framework for outreach and dissemination. This even was followed by the delivery of seminars by experts who shared their insights and knowledge on human trafficking and economic crime through smuggling, as well as ways in which such criminal activities can be combatted. The drew from best practices from other countries and suggested ways forward in the Cypriot context. The project covered the whole of Cyprus, across the Green Line.
Seminars delivered:
‘Policing across the Green Line’ - Dr Nasia Hadjigeorgiou, Assistant Professor in Transitional Justice and Human Rights, Deputy Head, School of Law, UCLan Cyprus and ICLAIM Resident Expert
‘Smuggling of Persons and Goods across the Green Line: A prevailing phenomenon’ – Ms. Andrea Manoli, Lecturer in Foundations of English and Cypriot Law, School of Law, UCLan Cyprus, SHT Project Coordinator and ICLAIM Researcher (up to January 2022)
‘Combatting Human Trafficking in Cyprus: Law and Practice’ – Dr Demetra Loizou, Lecturer in International Criminal Law, School of Law, UCLan Cyprus and ICLAIM Resident Expert, and Ms Fezile Osum, Research Scholar, School of Law, UCLan Cyprus and ICLAIM Researcher
They were followed by a focus group and a brainstorming session chaired by Prof. Stéphanie Laulhé Shaelou, Professor of European Law and Reform and Head, School of Law, UCLan Cyprus and ICLAIM Founder.
Training sessions delivered:
The project also produced a number of written research papers, which are available as freely-accessible online resources in English, Greek and Turkish:
- The Handbook of Good Practices and Methods of Investigation to Access and Tackle Criminal Activities and Economic Crimes across the Green Line
- The Report on Smuggling and Trafficking of Persons Across the Green Line
Outputs in all three languages are available
here.
Supporter: British High Commission in Nicosia
The project website serves also as a Digital Platform where academics and other stakeholders can share their research/blog posts to create an ongoing network that aims to offer practical guidance for law and order professionals, other frontline workers and young people in line with Cypriot, EU, UN and other policies/frameworks.
Cyprus
