Mariam Mirzoyan

Armenian-Azerbaijani peacebuilder and founder of the 'Dialogue' NGO, fostering reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Mariam Mirzoyan, born in 1975 in Armenia, is a pioneering peacebuilder whose work bridges the deep-seated animosity between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. She co-founded the NGO 'Dialogue' in 2002, one of the first cross-border organizations to engage both communities in post-war reconciliation. Despite the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s volatility, Mirzoyan organized forums, cultural exchanges, and joint educational programs to humanize adversaries.

Her initiatives include the 'Youth Exchange Program,' which brought together students from both nations to collaborate on projects addressing shared challenges like environmental degradation and economic stagnation. In 2006, she initiated the 'Women’s Dialogue,' empowering women from conflict zones to advocate for peace. Mirzoyan’s approach emphasizes grassroots collaboration, contrasting with the region’s entrenched political stalemate.

Her work faced significant backlash. In 2010, Dialogue’s offices were vandalized, and Mirzoyan received death threats. Yet she persisted, expanding her network to include Turkish and Iranian partners. She also pioneered the 'Memory and Reconciliation' project, documenting oral histories to counteract historical narratives of enmity.

Mirzoyan’s influence extends beyond the Caucasus. She advised the UN on conflict resolution in Syria and was a consultant for the EU’s Eastern Partnership program. Critics question the practical impact of her 'soft diplomacy' in a region dominated by militarism. However, her legacy is evident in the hundreds of young leaders she trained, many now holding roles in government and civil society.

In 2017, she co-authored 'Dialogue Among Peoples: A Path to Conflict Resolution,' a manual for grassroots peacebuilding. Mirzoyan’s TEDx talk 'Why Peace is Possible Between Armenia and Azerbaijan' highlights her belief that empathy can dismantle hatred. Her efforts remain a beacon of hope in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.