People-to-People Contacts level. Many politically active men, even those initially resentful, began to support the initiative and engage in its activities. 3. Lessons learned People-to-people contacts at all levels support democratic transitions and promote the building of sustainable peace. In SouthEastern Europe, the OSCE implements such activities both at the national and regional levels. The experiences from these activities show that initiatives focusing on youth and women from different ethnic groups are excellent tools in the fight against polarization. By establishing mutual trust, they provide a solid basis for dialogue and joint action. Particularly in post-conflict settings, informal initiatives at the local and community levels that promote co-operation through people-to-people contacts can offer an excellent starting point for further peace and reconciliation efforts. Women play an especially important role in creating dialogue between communities and facilitating people-to-people contacts. The OSCE’s experiences show that women, once empowered to promote dialogue and co-operation, become committed advocates for co-operation and joint problem solving. Empowering women in this way has great potential for bringing people together across the political spectrum and the ethnic divide. To obtain the most from people-to-people contacts, they should take a broad geographical approach, and include rural areas that may be isolated in terms of exposure to other ethnic, religious, or 101