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Training course пїЅMethods of Conducting Negotiations
in Conflict SituationsпїЅ Moscow, 4 пїЅ 6 October 2000 Article written by the participant of the training
course Gita Belugina, Moscow Association of Latvian Culture пїЅConnecting one objectiveпїЅ How to behave as
a representative of a NGO in certain situations? How to avoid conflicts and
how to find a common language with the authorities? The seminar was dedicated
to all these problems. The program gathered people for the purpose of
acquainting and exchanging experience and searching new methods for the
solution of social and political conflicts. The British Embassy gave the
grant for the training of leaders of ethnic minorities of Russian towns in
skills of protection of rights of their compatriots. In the seminar
participated not only the representatives of non-commercial organizations
from both Russian capitals but also from Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny
Novgorod and Krasnodar. There had been a Latvian and a Kazakh, an Abkhaz and
a Georgian, a Jew and a German, and even a representative of the ancient
Assyrians. One cannot often meet so many different people at the same time.
Becoming acquainted with all of them closer, it is going to be even more
surprising. The Moscow Korean Yevgeny was born in the Krasnodar Krai
(county), the Greek Semen had moved to Rostov-on-Don from Georgia, etc. The
fate of each participant is as interesting as the fate of the people he or
she is representing. Neither a schoolbook nor an encyclopedia can contain
everything about the existence of peoples living on our continent for the last millennium. But persons
who aspire to preserve the culture, language and traditions of their people
are always ready to share their history with everybody who is interested in. THE FIRST DAY OR HOW TO AVOID A CONFLICT The first day of the seminar was dedicated to
пїЅconflictsпїЅ, or strictly speaking to the study of theories of conflicts. In order
to understand a conflict, one has to analyze it. And in order to analyze it,
one has to imagine the conflict like a graphic. That is to set about the
cartography of the conflict. Theories need their
practice. Therefore the participants of the seminar were divided into groups
to figure various situations on big pieces of paper. Each person had name a
conflict: for instance, one person doing business has a conflict in the firm;
the other is deeply concerned about the crisis in Chechnya. By the way, did you ever think about the fact that
people are playing roles every day? As a rule, as much as they are used to
their everyday roles (passenger, customer, patient, etc.) they do not notice
the way they behave in certain situations. Role games had been a very
important element of our seminar, as it is not enough to understand the
theory of conflicts and conduction of negotiations. All this should be
reproduced in the games. The first what had to be trained in the game
situation was to talk about a given topic for 2 minutes. Sometimes this is
more complicated than it seemed on the first sight. The task of the partners
(the group was divided into pairs) seemed to be easier пїЅ they had to listen
attentively. But doing so they had to observe two dozens of rules. The game
was successful. Another point was not less important. The game had been
played on the first day of the seminar. The participants listened and shared
things they care about in their personal life. Doing so they came in contact,
even these people who were not or few acquainted with each other. пїЅInfluence and RuleпїЅ, пїЅIdentity and BelongingпїЅ пїЅ
these topics were also touched at the first day of the seminar. In order to become better acquainted with each other
in an ease atmosphere, a big part of the participants of the seminar stayed
in the restaurant of the hotel пїЅSverchkov, 8пїЅ where they had an welcome
evening. The main event of the evening was an informal competition of
national songs. Each of the persons sitting around the table performed his or
her favorite song in his/her mother tongue. Paul Clifford, the leader of the
seminar (English organization Responding to Conflict) completed the competition singing the anti-war song of Pete Seeger
пїЅWhere have all the flowers gone?пїЅ (He sang it in English, of course). SECOND DAY пїЅ IN SEARCH OF COMPROMISES, or пїЅWHAT TO
SAY AND WHAT BETTER NOTпїЅ The morning of the second day started with the game
пїЅMiracle fruitпїЅ. In the course of 10 minutes a group composed of three
persons should find the ideal version for the solution of a given task. Doing
so it was not possible to avoid arithmetic.
Both, a shop assistant and two customers want to buy the same product. Who
wins? Will there be a looser or will all of them be content with the
solution? Alas, there were losers. The majority of the participants
understood the ideal variant to solve the situation only at the end of the
game. But each group had so many non-expected and interesting proposals that
the absolute loser did not feel anyone. Worth mentioning that the participants of the
seminar liked the game пїЅMiracle fruitпїЅ so much that many of them noted down
the rules of the game, as the wanted it to play with their friends. After the theories of
techniques how to conduct negotiations and the break there started another
role game. The aim was to train the conduction of negotiations with
authorities. A situation, which is met often in the live of a NGO: leaders of
non-commercial national organizations ask the representatives of the
authorities to give a certain sum for the development of their association,
their culture, etc. Everything else has been as usual.пїЅ But not usual has been that both, on the
side of the NGOs or пїЅpeoplesпїЅ and on the side of the пїЅauthoritiesпїЅ were
participants of the seminar. Of course, each negotiation needs its long and
careful preparation. For one and a half hour пїЅpeoplesпїЅ and пїЅauthoritiesпїЅ
discussed the necessities and problems, purpose
and operation, searched for alternatives to the discussed agreement,
considered a possibility to go on concessions. This way the negotiations were
conducted. Alas, they have been concluded like in real life: the NGO did not
get more than 10 percents given by the authorities. But at the end of the
game the results have been discussed, the mistakes found, and everyone
realized that for all mistakes we have understood and learned a lot. The next day, there was another solemn supper. This
time it was dedicated to the TeacherпїЅs and took place in a national Armenian
school. After a concert and a small excursion, all visitors were invited on a
table covered with dishes of the Armenian Cuisine. Worth mentioning, that
most of the dishes have been cooked by the students. The holiday was closed
with Armenian dances, in which everybody participated irrespective of age and
nationality. THIRD DAY, OR BEING
GUESTS AT DEPUTIES On the 6th of October, in a building of
the Moscow Parliament in the Petrovka Street the deputy Gennady Rybalsky read
a lecture for all participants of the seminar titled "Combat and/or
unity of contrasts". He discussed the question what is an official and
if it is worth to struggle with him. Thus, the participants of a seminar have
learned more about state structures and social partnership. And they
understood what a bureaucrat is. Special success had the table
"Fundamental model of the officialпїЅs pragmatic filter", in
"colloquial language" called "Section of an officialпїЅ
head". As already mentioned above, the majority of the
NGOпїЅs exist on state grants. But only few leaders NGOпїЅs know how to write
correctly letters to the local authorities. Only because of that,
noncommercial organizations receive often refusals of financial support. And
G. Rybalsky, a deputy of the Moscow Parliament, told the audience some
details, which should be known by drawing up of the letter to an official. In
addition, he talked about interaction between government bodies and non-state
non-commercial organizations. At the end of the lecture and after a little coffee
break, the seminar in the Moscow Parliament was continued with a "roundtable"
on the topic "Interaction of government bodies with national public
organizations as a relevant factor to avoid ethnic conflicts in
megapolis". The deputy Juri Osokin and his assistant Tatyana Dyakova had
organized the meeting. Abrar Yarlykapov and Edward Coman reported on the work
of the Committee of Public and Inter-regional Relations. Victor Polunin, the
director of the Moscow House of Nationalities, informed the participants of
the roundtable about the creation and the activities of the institution.
Anatoly Ishutin, the representative of the Moscow Passport Office was
confronted with many questions. By the end of the seminar, the hostel
"of Crickets, 8" had become a kind of home for all participants.
Thus, after the dinner we returned to the hostel to develop strategies for
the future based on everything we have learned during these three days.
Divided into groups, each group represented its city. 1,5 hours were enough
for every group to developed an action plan for the nearest future. And each project
was worth to be paid attention to. On the presentation, which took place in
the most spacious hostel room, various ideas were presented. All of them were
directed on enriching the national politics in Russia and on the work of
national organizations in the regions. FAREWELL Thus, the seminar came to an end. It seemed, that
all people were now connected by something common. And it is easy to
understand why the final game was called "cobweb". After three days
being together without any break, everybody had to say a few words one
another. To experience more intensively that we were all united by similar
purposes, a ball of a bright solar rope was taken for the game. Everybody
spoke about his or her impressions and thoughts and threw the ball to the person
addressed. After some time, a пїЅcobwebпїЅ of kind wishes connected all
participants, which stood in a circle. And as always there was a solemn supper, on which
one there came the representatives from the Ministry on Nationalities and
leaders of ethnic communities of Moscow. Solemnly, but is sad. The seminar is
ended, and already tomorrow each will leave the city. But main not to forget
the given on "spider line" promising to not lose one another, both
to meet again. And to believe, that Center of Interethnic Cooperation, which
one has collected us together, necessarily will find a causing again us to
collect. P.S. As the writer of this article and participant
of a seminar, I want on behalf of all say thanks to the Center for
International Cooperation and our British friends, and especially Paul
Clifford, our teacher. Thanks Paul for a seminar of friendship, for these
three days without conflicts. Gita Belugina October 20, 2000 "League of Nations" A similar training course has been carried out from
April 3 till April 5, 2001 in Moscow for the leaders of other ethnic
communities of Moscow, St.-Petersburg, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov on
Don, Krasnodar. April 4 the participants of the training course visited
the Moscow House of Nationalities. April 5 the circular table on the subject
of " About the designs of the acts in an orb of national attitudes
" in the Moscow City Council was held. In the evening of April 4 in
restaurant of hostel the participants of the training course in informal
circumstances have met with Sergey Alexandrovich Podgorbunsky, chief of
Department on Interaction with Mass Media and Public Relations of the
Ministry on Federation, National and Migratory Policies. In the evening of April
5 the representatives of national communities from the regions had the
possibility to meet the leaders of the Moscow communities.
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