ABSTRACT
Six themes were identified as critical to the peaceful development of Azerbaijan in the context of the exploitation of its oil reserves. These are supporting the development of local business in order to diversify the economy, meeting the needs of internally displaced people and refugees, the strengthening of civil society, democratic reform and development, regional political stability and oil industry co-operation. The founding principles of the group are that partnership and co-ordination are the most effective means of achieving the goal of local business development. 'Conflict prevention' is a broad term encompassing a multitude of approaches and interventions to prevent and manage conflict situations, ranging from community development to high-level political negotiations. International Alert, a London-based not-for-profit organisation, began an initiative in late 1999 to engage multinational oil companies investing in Azerbaijan in a multi-stakeholder dialogue. The process was designed to find ways of preventing oil investment from acting as a trigger for conflict.
