The Nansen Dialogue Network started as a project in 1995. When the Nansen Academy hosted its first interethnic dialogue seminar in Lillehammer, Norway, war was still raging in Bosnia – Herzegovina. The objective of the project was to establish a place for dialogue between representatives of the various ethnic groups involved in the conflict. This is how former Director, Inge Eidsvåg, describes how the project came into being:

“In July 1994 I visited Sarajevo to see the rehabilitation of the paraplegic centre at the Kosevo Hospital, financed by Lillehammer Olympic Aid. This was before the Dayton agreement, and Sarajevo was under siege. After five days I left the city with strong impressions. On my return to Norway I immediately contacted Norwegian Red Cross and Norwegian Church Aid to explore whether they were interested in co-operating on a dialogue project for people from former Yugoslavia. The response was very positive. A few weeks later we had worked out a tentative programme and applied for financial support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later on the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) was invited into the steering committee. In September 1995 we welcomed the first group of 14 students from former Yugoslavia. In one year we had transformed idea into reality.” 

Inge Eidsvåg – Former Director of the Nansen Academy

The Norwegian Church Aid, Norwegian Red Cross and International Peace Research Intstitute, Oslo (PRIO) were important partners in the establishment and development of the network. They contributed with international experience and relevant academic knowledge that strengthened the network’s professional platform. Several other organisations contributed to the educational programme, particularly in the first five years.

The early participants of the Nansen Academy seminars expressed a need for follow-up after return to their home countries. Most of the participants experienced the seminar in Norway as a very positive experience. However, it was difficult to be the only one in their community who had been in dialogue with people from the “other side” of the conflict divide. The project was still a small scale activity, which only reached a limited number of people. Two women from Pristina, Kosovo, established the first Nansen Dialogue Centre in the region in 1998. The centre organised dialogue seminars for Albanians and Serbs from Kosovo throughout 1998 and 1999, until NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia ended these activities temporarily. The Nansen Dialogue Network was established in 2000, and today consists of dialogue centres in ten towns and cities in the Western Balkans. The Nansen Academy’s seminars continue to be a central contribution to the network’s activities. The Nansen Academy Foundation has the overall responsibility for administering the network.

For in depth information, see the literature section.