AMERICANS FOR ARTSAKH ORGANIZATION HOLDS TRAININGS FOR NKR MFA EMPLOYEES

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 20:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 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.