Participants in the USIP training will play active roles in strengthening the government’s ability to manage conflicts before they escalate.

A tense and potentially violent confrontation is underway in Kosovo. A standoff continues between Kosovo Serbs blockading roads in North Kosovo, NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) insisting on freedom of movement, and the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) that has moved Kosovo government police and customs officers to two crossings to Serbia.

The Tadic government in Serbia has tried to play a calming role, concerned that violence might damage its policy of moving toward membership in the European Union. Although the Kosovo Serbs have termed their blockade “peaceful political action,” there is continuing potential for miscalculation and unplanned incidents.

As part of its longstanding engagement in Kosovo, USIP has been working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo to strengthen its staff in negotiation and diplomatic skills. Participants in the USIP training play active roles in the mission’s rule of law, democratization, human rights, and police training programs, thereby strengthening the government’s ability to manage conflicts before they escalate.

Ted Feifer of the Institute’s Academy of International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding was in Pristina in late October to deliver a three-day training to 22 international and national staff members coming from mission headquarters and almost all regional centers, and representing all mission functions. This was the latest training in our continuing relationship with OSCE over the last decade, including 16 trainings in Kosovo and almost 60 throughout the OSCE area.

The challenge was to make this group of experienced practitioners even more effective in their use of negotiation and diplomatic skills. The focus in the training was on making participants better communicators in conflict situations, with an emphasis on teaching them active listening skills, understanding non-verbal communication, and responding to the different ways that people deal with differences. Best practices in negotiation were identified, key points on negotiation for practitioners were discussed, and ways of dealing with reluctant negotiators and negotiation tactics were explored.

The training included a mix of presentations, exercises to apply material learned, interactive discussion, videos, and a capstone simulation. The trainer and participants constantly kept the focus on applying the skills discussed to the reality in Kosovo, always seeking to make the participants more effective at what they do and better able to achieve mission goals.

Participants were highly positive regarding the usefulness of the training. One noted that “this was no doubt the most interesting training I have had so far. It was entertaining and activities were varied and informative.” Another emphasized the “very good trainer, insightful examples and exercises.”

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