Dialogue for Understanding e.V.

03/06/2026

Only two weeks left to secure your spot for an unforgettable journey to Armenia! ⏰

The countdown is on! You have until June 19, 2026, to apply for our unique study trip taking place this September (22–29). If you want to understand how grassroots civil society drives real change in the face of immense geopolitical challenges, this is the experience you've been waiting for. 🧭

We are leaving the tourist tracks behind to meet the people shaping Armenia’s future. Imagine discussing regional security with experts from the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, or sitting down for lunch at a social enterprise in Gyumri run entirely by inspiring youth with disabilities at the Emili Aregak Center. 🤝
From hearing first-hand testimonies about the displacement from Nagorno-Karabakh to exploring ancient monasteries, tasting local wines, and baking traditional Lavash bread—this trip balances heavy political realities with the warm, resilient soul of Armenian culture. 🍇🥖

Spaces are limited to ensure high-quality exchanges and networking among participants. Don't miss out!

👇 Full itinerary, costs, and registration link can be found in the first comment.

02/06/2026

💨 Breathless in Bishkek: Fighting for clean air in Central Asia! 🇰🇬

Bishkek is one of the largest cities in Central Asia, famous for its scenic mountain views. But behind the panorama lies a harsh reality: fossil-based energy, rapid urban sprawl, and climate change are pushing the city’s air quality to dangerous limits. 🏙️

Crucially, this environmental crisis doesn't affect everyone equally - income and geography dictate who breathes what.
In the latest episode of The Eurasian Climate Brief, our brilliant colleague Angelina Davydova and the team sit down with Maria Kolesnikova, director of the environmental NGO MoveGreen. Together, they dive deep into how air pollution impacts local citizens and discuss what can be done to create lasting change. 🎧🌱

The Eurasian Climate Brief is dedicated to bringing you vital climate and environmental stories from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia—regions where these critical issues are heavily underreported. 🌍✨

What’s your view on how grassroot NGOs can best tackle urban air pollution? Let’s talk in the comments! 👇

Check out the link to the full episode in the comments below!

01/06/2026

Every child deserves a safe space to heal, laugh, and dream—whether at home or far away from it. 🧸✨

Happy International Children’s Day! Today, we celebrate the boundless joy and incredible resilience of children everywhere. But as we celebrate, our hearts and efforts are focused on the millions of Ukrainian children whose childhoods have been abruptly disrupted by war and displacement. 💛💙

At Dialogue for Understanding, we believe that protecting childhood and healing psychological wounds requires a continuous safety net - both on the ground and across borders. That is why our targeted projects support young Ukrainians wherever they need it most:
📍 In Ukraine: Trauma Pedagogy for Ukrainian Schools: We operate directly on the ground, equipping local educators and professionals with vital mental health tools to guide children through the deep psychological trauma of war.
📍 In Berlin: Space for Childhood: We provide a warm, secure haven specifically for Ukrainian refugee children who have fled to Germany. It’s a dedicated space where they can process their experiences, play freely, and simply enjoy being children again. 🕊️🌿

Investing in the mental well-being and safety of these children today is how we build a peaceful, resilient tomorrow.

How is your local community or organization supporting refugee children and young families today? What’s your view on the best ways to provide psychological comfort to displaced youth? Share your thoughts below, or tag a friend who is doing amazing work for children! 👇

Check out the comments section below for the links to discover more about these projects!

29/05/2026

📉 A worrying shift for democracy: Germany's civil society space downgraded

The newly released 2026 "Atlas of Civil Society" report by Brot für die Welt delivers a stark wake-up call for all of us. Germany has officially been downgraded to a "limited" openness ranking. This places it alongside other nations where the space for activists, NGOs, and free assembly is actively shrinking due to heavy surveillance, police pushbacks at protests, and rising discrimination. 🌍

A major threat highlighted this year is the massive surge in AI-driven disinformation campaigns. These targeted efforts are purposely dividing communities, particularly focusing on highly sensitive topics like immigration, climate change, and the LGBTQ+ community. Shockingly, the report finds that a mere 3.4% of the world’s population now lives in truly open societies, while 73% live under authoritarian regimes. 🛑

As advocates for human rights and regional solidarity across Germany and Eastern Europe we know that a free civil society is the very foundation of democratic progress. When these spaces shrink, vulnerable groups suffer first. We must stand together, strengthen digital resilience, and demand better protections for civil actors across the European continent. 💪

What’s your view on this alarming development? Have you noticed a shift in public discourse or assembly rights in your own local community? Let’s talk about it in the comments below! 👇

(Read the full Atlas via the link in the comments section.)

28/05/2026

📰 Reporting Under Fire: How Myanmar’s Mizzima Defies Surveillance

Exile journalism has become a defining feature of today’s global media landscape. Since the 2021 military coup, independent voices in Myanmar have faced severe repression and violent conflict. In a powerful new interview, our colleague Angelina Davydova speaks with Soe Myint, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Mizzima, about how their newsroom navigates safety, ethics, and financial survival. 🇲🇲

Operating under a unique “one-foot-in, one-foot-out” cross-border model, Mizzima balances clandestine reporting inside the country with administrative hubs abroad. From managing extreme safety risks to inventing creative revenue streams—like importing coffee to Europe to stay sustainable—their journey is a masterclass in resilience and innovation for independent media worldwide. 💪🌱

What keeps Soe Myint hopeful after decades of struggle? The incredible energy of the younger generation. As he beautifully puts it: "The human being wants to be liberated. It is natural justice at the end of the day... People are fighting and that is the hope." 🌟

How can global civil society better stand in solidarity with journalists operating from underground and exile? What's your view? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

🔗 Read the full inspiring interview via the link in the comments!

27/05/2026

Empowering Women, Transforming Communities! 🌟 The 'She Can' project takes a major step forward!

On May 21, 2026, our amazing team of international experts gathered online for their very first alignment meeting! Together, Liudmyla Parashchenko, Mariia Hrynova, Karolina Svyryda, and Ganna Skytova mapped out the conceptual framework for an intensive capacity-building journey tailored for pioneering Ukrainian women.

This initiative is built on real, actionable change rather than just theory. Through targeted future workshops, multipliers from Ukrainian educational and youth centers will dive deep into democratic participation, leadership, project management, financial budgeting, and EU integration standards. Our goal is to empower them to facilitate their own participatory dialogue formats and launch "EU Participation Labs" for young people back in their home municipalities.

With a highly practice-oriented, interactive approach, these future leaders will develop actionable plans to solve real community challenges. We cannot wait to see the immense local impact these change-makers will generate 🇺🇦

What's your view on the role of local female leadership in driving sustainable democratic transformation? Let us know your thoughts below, or tag an inspiring leader who is making a difference today! 👇

The project “She can - Women For Ukraine Democratic And European Path” is implemented in cooperation with 3.5 відсотків and the Обʼєднання «Агенція розвитку освітньої політики, with generous support from the Auswärtiges Amt and the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend.

#ВонаМоже

21/05/2026

It’s Vyshyvanka Day! 🇺🇦

What started years ago as a simple idea by a group of university students has turned into a massive global celebration. The Vyshyvanka is the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, and it’s way more than just a beautiful piece of clothing. For millions of people, it’s a wearable piece of history, identity, and home.

Today, Ukrainians across Ukraine, Germany, and all over the world are putting on their favorite embroidery. In tough times, these traditions become a real anchor. They keep communities connected and show solidarity in a very personal, visual way that everyone can understand. 🌍

In our NGO work, we see every day that civil society is about people and the shared values that bring them together. Celebrating these roots gives folks the energy and connection they need to keep moving forward.

Are you wearing yours today? We'd love to see it! Drop a picture in the comments, tell us what keeps your community connected, or tag a friend who is celebrating today! 👇

20/05/2026

Looking Back & Moving Forward: Our 2026 General Assembly! ✨

Yesterday we gathered in Berlin for our annual General Assembly to celebrate an incredible 2025 of impact and outline our upcoming journey!💛
From providing vital trauma pedagogy training to thousands of educators and children in Ukraine, to driving sustainable environmental solutions in Armenia, our projects are creating real, lasting change. During the assembly, we officially approved our past annual balance, granted discharge to the board, and established clear compliance frameworks for our team's operational project work. 🚀

And the future looks even brighter! We are thrilled to launch new initiatives this year, including 'The Great Divide' for civic education in exile, 'MemAct' for critical memory culture in Eastern Europe, 'Common Ground' for dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the continuation of our 'She Can' women's empowerment project. Plus, we have officially moved into our brand-new office at the Haus der Demokratie in Berlin! 🏢🌱

None of this would be possible without our dedicated members, partners, and civil society network. We are so grateful to grow this community together with you! 🥰

What areas of civil society work or regional empowerment are closest to your heart right now? Tell us in the comments below, or tag a fellow changemaker who inspires you! 👇

19/05/2026

🌍 The Hidden Side of the Green Transition: Is it truly fair for everyone?

We talk a lot about solar panels, electric vehicles, and cutting carbon emissions. But is the global shift toward sustainability accidentally leaving the world's most vulnerable behind? Our brilliant colleague and international climate policy expert, Angelina Davydova, recently sat down with Rabochaya Politika (in Russian) to pull back the curtain on the complex intersection of climate action and social justice.

From the controversial realities of nuclear waste disposal (which too often ends up in less-developed regions) to the phenomenon of shifting heavy, polluting industries from the Global North to the Global South, the green transition is riddled with ethical dilemmas. Even the rapid rise of AI is shifting the scales, quietly driving up global energy and water consumption at unprecedented rates! 💧⚡

But there is incredible power rising from civil society. ✊ We are seeing a historic surge in climate litigation worldwide. Whether it is Swiss senior citizens taking their government to the European Court of Human Rights or local farmers holding major fossil fuel corporations accountable, everyday people are using the legal system to rewrite the rules of the game.

Ultimately, saving our planet isn't just a technological race—it's a human one. It is about building a future where resources, economic burdens, and ecological responsibilities are shared equitably across borders. 💚

What do you think is the biggest hurdle to achieving a truly just green transition? Is it political will, corporate greed, or a lack of global unity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 👇💭

Ангелина Давыдова — экспертка и исследовательница в области международной климатической и экологической политики, гражданского общества, изучающая переговорны....

18/05/2026

🌍 Behind Closed Borders: What is actually happening inside Russia after four years of war?

Beyond the major geopolitical headlines, the protracted war against Ukraine has drastically reshaped daily life inside Russia. With the ruling class increasingly militarized, independent media banned, and civil society under unprecedented pressure, ordinary citizens are adapting to a stark new reality.

To unpack these critical domestic shifts, the International Institute for Peace - IIP, in cooperation with Dialogbüro Vienna, warmly invites you to a public panel discussion in Vienna: "Behind Closed Borders: The Domestic Consequences of Russia’s War." We are incredibly proud to share that our brilliant colleague Angelina Davydova (Journalist, Fellow at the Institute for Global Reconstitution, and Expert with Dialogue for Understanding e.V.) will be speaking as a panelist! She will be joining renowned experts Kirill Rogov, Vasily Astrov, and Nuria Fatykhova to explore how propaganda, economic reorientation toward China, and state control are changing the societal fabric.

🗓️ When: Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 18:00 CET
📍 Where: IIP, Möllwaldplatz 5/7, 1040 Vienna, Austria
💬 Language: English

Bring your questions and stay with us after the event—snacks and drinks will be offered for continued conversation and networking! 🥂 (Please note: The building’s elevator is temporarily out of service, so access to the event space is via the stairs).

What do you feel is the most overlooked aspect of how authoritarian shifts impact ordinary citizens in wartime? What's your view? Let us know in the comments below, and tag a friend or colleague in Vienna who wouldn't want to miss this! 👇

What has happened in Russia after four years of its full-scale war against Ukraine? European headlines report a stagnant economy, a suppressed civil society, and omnipresent military propaganda, but what do these developments actually mean for Russian citizens in their daily lives?