This toolkit presents a vision a transitional/ restorative justice path in Iraq depends the participatory approach to deal with the human rights violations that happened in the past to transfer to more stability social environment.

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The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research PhD. Prof. Abdul Razzaq Al-Issa, has emphasized on the importance of enhancing peacebuilding capacities and the need for peace studies in the Iraqi universities, duringIraqi Al-Amal Association’s final conference of “promoting peace education framework for reconciliation” project on 11 June 2018. The project is funded by the government of Japan, and supported by UNDP-Iraq, ICRRP; and in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The project is a 1 year long and achieved the following results:

• -Establishment of a ministerial consortium for peace education, membered by 15 college deans from 7 Iraqi universities. The consortium has set the ministry priorities in this field into: Inclusion of peace education in the universities syllabi;Establishing a diploma in peace and conflict studies; and Establish peace research centers and units.
• -Conducting 37 youth-led peace initiatives in Baghdad, Anbar, Salah Aldin, Najaf, and Karbala; by the 72 trained youth on social transformation tools and skills.
• -Dialogue sessions, speeches and lectures by the 23 trained academics from Baghdad, Anbar, Tikrit, Kufa, and Karbal universities; who has also produced 6 researches about Iraqi social cohesion current situation and conflict analysis.
• -Preparing, printing and distributing the first peace and conflict studies terms lexicon in Arabic, after a long inclusive validation process with Iraqi and Arabic academics and experts; and translating 3 key texts and books in this field into Arabic to act as resources for peace studies in Iraq.

The conference started by a speech of the minister; Followed by a speech of the deputy country director of UNDP in Iraq Mr. Gerardo Noto who has demonstrated the efforts of UNDP in Iraq, and the results achieved in ICRRP.

The conference continued by a presentation of Iraqi Al-Amal Association about the project main results and focusing on the youth peace initiatives which displayed by short videos produced and presented by the youth documenting their activities. Then the speech of Iraqi Al-Amal association was by the executive director Mr. Jamal AlJawahiri, who explained the efforts and the type of the dedicated work done to reach these results, and pointed to Al-Amal broader work in peacebuilding field and its future plans as contributing to establish peace studies degree in one or more universities, and continuing the work with academics, researchers and youth. Finally the project participants received their success certificates from the minister and Mr. Noto. 

UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts

New York, 22nd June 2018

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning!

I would like to thank Poland as President of the Security Council, for inviting me to participate in this debate. I have been working for 50 years as a women and human rights defender across Iraq. For most of this time I have been working to protect civilians living in conflict and instability, helping them to recover in the aftermath of violence and supporting the next generation of Iraqis to do the same. I co-founded the Iraqi Women’s Network in 2004 and the Iraqi Al-Amal Association in 1992, which works to rehabilitate people rather than stone.

I come to you from a country filled with horror, a country that has suffered for more than three decades from the scourge of war and siege. Over the past 15 years, civilians have been plagued by armed conflicts, insecurity and violence. Our people have sacrificed a lot. We endured crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We suffered mass executions of tens of thousands of people; ethnic and religious cleansing against civilians of religious and ethnic minorities, in particular against Ezidis; and sexual violence and sexual slavery of women and girls. 10 million of us have been displaced from our homes. Essential services like water and electricity are gone. Our hospitals, health centers, schools and social welfare institutions in Nineveh, Anbar and Salahadeen and Diyala have been destroyed.

The operations to liberate Mosul were extremely fierce and costly. I was in daily contact with families and human rights defenders in the city who were hiding in basements. The fighting took place in densely populated areas, involving explosive weapons with wide-area effects. The bombardments were constant, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes. People hiding had nothing to eat, resorting to eating the dirt around them. Women were forced to give birth alone and without any medical treatment. Injured people could not easily access hospitals and many died because they could not reach treatment in time. The departure of civilians from these areas during the operation was extremely risky. Mosul was turned into rubble and became an open cemetery. There are no data and statistics on the numbers of the dead. Now we hear that bodies are appearing in the river around Mosul.

During these dangerous and tragic conditions, voluntary youth civil society initiatives emerged. Young people sought to collect medical assistance and medicines and to cooperate with military forces to deliver them to civilians. A team has emerged to collect the bodies from Mosul and save the city from the spread of epidemics. I know one nurse, Serour whose sister was killed by Da’esh. She turned her grief and anger into leadership of this effort.

In an old house, her team found a room containing 150 stacked bodies – men, women and children – all killed with shots to the head. The team has recovered 1,350 bodies, including the bodies of Da’esh fighters. The mission is dangerous. The bodies may be near unexploded bombs and the smell of bodies is unbearable. They collect the bodies then transfer them to a cemetery without passing through forensics to be able to identify the dead and missing. To date, there are still 3,000 reports of missing civilians in the old city.

All of these efforts require your support. We must recover the bodies, identify the missing and return them to their families. The missing Ezidi women and children must be liberated and be free to return home. They and many of the people who suffered have deep psychological trauma from their experiences and they need more help – which requires particular capacity building inside Iraq to improve local services, led by local organizations and local people.

Civilians who have suffered must have access to justice and accountability. The Security Council Resolution in 2017 on Da’esh accountability, and the Joint Communique on the Reduction and Response to Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict signed in September 2016 are crucial documents. We welcome them and I urge you to support their implementation.

But there must be accountability for all harm committed in Iraq by all parties to the conflict. Accountability should not be limited to some people and some types of violations. All civilians deserve redress for their suffering. This must be clearly linked to reconciliation efforts.

The families of many Da’esh fighters have been badly treated and isolated in camps. Many of the children do not have any legal documents. Women’s organizations deals with many cases of women forced to marry fighters and who are now widows with children, but who lack marriage and birth certificates. Many are threatened with death on the basis of “honor”. Many are at risk of suicide. These women and children bear a huge stigma that must be addressed and they must be involved in rehabilitation and reconciliation.

The national authorities, UN agencies, and international community need to work with local actors to determine and agree on an appropriate minimum package of support and assistance for communities. Humanitarian action as well as longer term assistance must be conflict and gender sensitive to facilitate social cohesion and be actively conflict reductive. This must address longstanding, structural drivers of conflict which remain issues for communities in return. All of the population- civil society, women, youth, and ethnic and religious minorities must be involved. This must also include communities affected by extremism. We must build community capacity for protection of civilians, early warning of conflict and address the legacy of violent extremism. It is essential to protect civilians from harm by avoiding it in the first place.

In conclusion, I come to you at a crucial time for the protection of civilians in Iraq. The successful elections, following the liberation of areas under the control of Da’esh offer us a chance to move forward to build inclusive peace and justice. In this effort, the rights of all women to full participation should be respected. We must continue to focus on people not stones.

As we look towards our future, I remain concerned about many other civilians, and especially in my region. Many live in deep hardship because of the many wars ongoing. They live without protection in places like Syria, Yemen, Libya and Gaza. I stand in solidarity with them and civilians across the world who are suffering and urge you to do all you can to ensure they are protected in line with your legal obligations under international humanitarian and human right law, and as fellow human beings.  Thank you

Baqouba, Iraq, 25 March 2017 – The United Nations took its “Iraq: Youth and Coexistence” Forum to Diyala Governorate, hoping to enrich the discussions aimed at gauging the opinions of the young generation on reconciliation with experiences from an area that symbolizes diversity but one which has paid a heavy price from conflict and violence.

It is the fourth of a series of cross-country youth forums intended to give a voice to youth for their crucial role in charting the road to peaceful co-existence in a future Iraq. With these kind of fora, the young generation of Iraqis across different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds has the opportunity to deliberate post-conflict issues, engage on national reconciliation and voice their opinion.

A total of 68 youth in the age group of 18-35 from Diyala Governorate participated in the “Iraq: Youth and Coexistence” forum, which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) organized in collaboration with the Iraqi Al-Amal Association.

The opening session was attended by Mr. Khidr Muslim Hafez, secretary-general of the Diyala Governorate Council representing the governor, some members of the Diyala Governorate Council, Mr. Jaafar al-Zarkoush, director-general the Education Directorate in Diyala, Ms. Hana Edwar, head of the Al-Amal Association, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq for Political and Electoral Affairs, Mr. György Busztin.

Mr. Busztin noted in his address that the Diyala Governorate’s mix of various ethnic, sectarian and religious groups and the conflict it endured makes this stop all too important. He recalled that the UN has lost a staff member as a result of the violence in Diyala.

“This governorate has suffered immensely and has offered great and painful sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. Diyala knew how to vanquish terrorism, rivalry and hate. The role of the young in peaceful coexistence and national reconciliation gives this stop in the series of forums great importance because of the diversity of this governorate and its suffering as a result of terrorism and rivalry, as well as triumphing over it,” Mr. Busztin said.

The Diyala forum is the fourth of the cross-country forums. The first was launched in Basra on 28 January 2017 and brought together about 120 participants from the four southern governorates of Basra, Missan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna. The second followed in Erbil on 19 February with 135 participants from Ninewa Governorate. The third was held in Najaf on 18 March, with 115 participants from the Najaf, Karbala, Babel and Qadissiyah Governorates taking part. Other conferences are to follow in the Governorates of Suleimaniyah, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Salaheddin, culminating in an overarching national conference in Baghdad in May to be attended by representatives of the youth to incorporate recommendations from these forums in the decisions that support the process of reconciliation and coexistence.

As with the format for all the conferences, the participants in the Diyala forum broke up into working groups to deliberate and respond to questions about what they would like to see in a future Iraq and how they can contribute. At the end of the meeting, the participants debated their responses and adopted a set of recommendations.

Najaf, Iraq, 18 March 2017 – The third of a series of cross-country youth forums convened in Najaf today, with the United Nations stressing the important role youth play in future reconciliation and highlighting the significance of the holy city in consolidating the spirit of coexistence and reconciliation.

A total of 115 youth in the age group of 18-35 from the mid-Euphrates governorates of Najaf, Karbala, Babel and Qadissiyah participated in the “Iraq: Youth and Coexistence” forum, which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) organized in collaboration with the Iraqi Al-Amal Association.

The aim of the forum was to give a voice to youth for their crucial role in charting the road to peaceful co-existence in a future Iraq. With these kind of fora, the young generation of Iraqis across different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds has the opportunity to deliberate post-conflict issues, engage on national reconciliation and voice their opinion.

The opening session was attended by Mr. Abbas Jabr Al-Alyawi, deputy governor of Najaf Governorate, Mr. Ali al-Shumarri, member of the Najaf governorate council, representatives of the Al-Amal Association, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq for Political and Electoral Affairs, Mr. György Busztin, who delivered speeches.

The meeting in Najaf, in addition that it brought together the youth from the mid-Euphrates governorates, takes on added significance given the holy city’s spiritual standing in the hearts of many Muslim in Iraq and across the world, Mr. Busztin said. “This stop is significant, for Najaf is central in consolidating the spirit of coexistence and reconciliation.”

The DSRSG added that the meeting shows the keenness of the United Nations for the youth to have a say in future coexistence in Iraq and underlines the importance of their role.

“We all recognize that the issues of peaceful coexistence, reconciliation and national unity figure prominently in any solution. There must be comprehensive and frank discussions with all segments of society to address the legacy of the past and the current threat of terrorism and extremist views in order to build a stable future for Iraq. Youth are the ones to ensure coexistence remains and takes root in this country, and if we want to embark on the road to reconciliation and genuine coexistence we have to start with the youth, as we have to also start with other segments and components to ensure all points of view are heard.”

The Najaf forum is the third of the cross-country forums. The first was launched in Basra on 28 January 2017 and brought together about 120 participants from the four southern governorates of Basra, Missan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna and in Erbil on 19 February with 135 participants from Ninewa Governorate. Other conferences are to follow in the governorates of Diyala, Suleimaniyah, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Salaheddin, culminating in an overarching national conference in Baghdad in May to be attended by representatives of the youth to incorporate recommendations from these forums in the decisions that support the process of reconciliation and coexistence.

As with the format for all the conferences, the participants in the Najaf forum broke up into working groups to deliberate and respond to questions about what they would like to see in a future Iraq and how they can contribute. At the end of the meeting, the participants debated their responses and adopted a set of recommendations.

Erbil, 19 February 2017 – Youth are key to the future of coexistence in Iraq and reconciliation would be incomplete without their input into the process, the United Nations stressed at the itinerary youth forum “Iraq: Youth and Coexistence” which stopped in Erbil on Saturday, 18 February 2017 on the second of a series of cross-country events.
 

About 140 youth in the age group of 18-35 hailing from the governorates of Ninewa, Dohouk and Erbil participated in the Erbil leg of the forum, which was organized by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) with the collaboration of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association. The aim of the series of forums is to give a voice to youth for its crucial role in charting the road to peaceful co-existence in a future Iraq. It is also significant opportunity for the young generation of Iraqis across different backgrounds to deliberate post-conflict issues, engage on national reconciliation and voice their opinion.

The Erbil forum represented added value for including the displaced from Ninewa.

“This meeting carries deep significance, as it denotes fraternity among people in Iraq’s cities and regions, and it represents an important indication that the youth of Ninewa and its population, who have fallen under the cruelty of extremism and terrorism, actually have a desire to live in co-existence and peace,” said Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq for Political and Electoral Affairs, Mr. György Busztin, in the opening remarks.

The significance of input from the youth, who constitute the majority of Iraq’s population, was stressed again.

“You are the future of this country and the ones who are responsible for formulating its image in the days to come, therefore, any initiative for reconciliation and coexistence should include your view points. Otherwise, such initiatives would be deficient.”

Mr. Busztin went on to present the significance of the participation of the youth in nation-building. As the beating heart, spirit and conscience of the nation, he added, youth are the guarantee for engendering and maintaining co-existence in this country.

The Erbil forum is the second of eight cross-country forums. The first was launched in Basra on 28 January 2017 and brought together about 120 participants from the four southern governorates of Basra, Missan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna. Other conferences are to follow in the governorates of Salaheddin, Najaf, Diyala, Kirkuk, Suleimaniyah and Baghdad, culminating in an overarching national conference in Baghdad in May to be attended by representatives of the youth to incorporate recommendations from these forums in the decisions that support the process of reconciliation and coexistence.

As with the format for all the conferences, the participants in the Erbil forum broke up into working groups to deliberate and respond to questions about what they would like to see in a future Iraq and how they can contribute. At the end of the meeting, the participants debated their responses and adopted a set of recommendations.

Basra, 28 January 2017 – A forum of Iraqi youth under the theme “Iraq: Youth and Coexistence” and aimed to present the voice of the young generation in the national reconciliation process launched its first of a series of cross-country sessions on Saturday, 28 January 2017 in Basra,

highlighting the importance of the role of youth in the future of post-conflict Iraq and putting forward recommendations to be raised at a national conference in May.

The forum, organized by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) with the collaboration of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, brought together about 120 participants in the age group of 18-35 from the southern governorates of Basra, Missan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna.

The aim of the forum was to give a voice to youth for its crucial role in charting the road to peaceful co-existence in a future Iraq. With these kind of fora as today’s in Basra, the young generation of Iraqis across different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds deliberated post-conflict issues, engaged on national reconciliation and voiced their opinion.

The opening session was attended by Mr. Nashaat Almansouri, head of the planning committee of the Basra Governorate Council, Sheikh Abbas Al-Fadli, head of the Tribes and Components Committee, Mr. Aqeel Salman, coordinator of international organization’s affairs in the implementation and follow-up committee on national reconciliation at the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office, Ms. Hana Edwar, head of the Al-Amal Association, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq, Mr. György Busztin.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Busztin said reconciliation in Iraq would be incomplete if the youth, the largest segment of Iraqi society, do not play a crucial role in the process and their points of view are not included. “This means that stability itself which Iraq and the United Nations aspire for would be incomplete”, he said.

The DSRSG added: “Your conference today is an example of the keenness of the United Nations to include the voice of youth in the future of coexistence in Iraq. I am confident that your discussions today will define the main issues which will be decisive in enhancing the dialogue and reconciliation among Iraqis, and come up with practical and tangible recommendations. It will be followed by other conferences in the governorates of Salaheddin, Erbil, Najaf, Diyala, Kirkuk, Suleimaniyah and Baghdad, culminating in a general conference in Baghdad attended by representatives of you, the youth, to incorporate these recommendations in the decisions that support the process of reconciliation and coexistence”.

The general national conference in Baghdad is expected to take place at the end of May. After the opening session, the participants broke up into five working groups to deliberate and respond to questions about what they would like to see in a future Iraq and how they can contribute. At the end of today’s forum, the participants debated their responses, drew a set of recommendations and chose representatives for the national youth conference in Baghdad. The recommendations today were wide ranging, related to strengthening the rule of law and State institutions, controlling arms, as well as instilling the spirit of tolerance in society through reforming school curricula.

Ms. Ibtisam Aziz / General Director of Iraqi Woman Empowering Directorate received Iraqi Women Network delegation on Monday 23^th January 2017 which included Hanaa Edwar, Shatha Naji, Hanaa Hmood and Amal Kbashi at the headquarters of the directorate in the general secretariat of the council of ministers.

The delegation offered their congratulations and wishes of success to her on the occasion of receiving her new tasks. The meeting focused on the challenges facing Iraqi women in light of the escalation of violence and what programs and projects are needed to protect and empower her through legislating the Victims of Domestic Violence Act and amend the laws that discriminate against her. The situation of the displaced women and the freed from ISIS was addressed. Working to provide their human, health and psychological needs and ensure their re-settlement after freeing their areas in addition to the participation of women in the national reconciliation and the mediation efforts and negotiations and recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

On her side Ms. General Director of Woman Empowering Directorate she declared her support to the project of Victims of Domestic Violence Act and her endeavor to work for its approval confirming the importance of partnership with the civil society organisations and uniting vision through setting priorities for the directorate action plan for 2017.

The meeting was in a positive and friendly mood to reinforce the bonds of cooperation and coordination between both sides in order to implement the strategies and the national plans (The National Strategy for Combating Violence, Advancement of Women strategy, the national plan and the emergency plan to Security Council resolution 1325), which is accredited by the government through setting timetables and resources necessary for it and activating the proper mechanisms to achieve its goals.

Iraqi Al-Amal Association conducted with UNICEF and PAX support three training workshops on (Social-Based Violence ) three days for the first workshop, two days for the second and third workshops, these workshops were held in the police academy hall in Kirkuk. 82 investigation officers participated from the police stations of the Directorate for combating crime in Kirkuk and with different sections and ranks. The workshops ended on Saturday 21^st January 2017. These workshops are part of the activities of Al-Amal Family Guidance Centre Project in Kirkuk and Women against Violence Project. 

Many subjects were discussed which focus on (social, social roles, Violence types, CEDAW, 1325 United Nations’ resolution in 2000, Mechanisms on facing violence and how to treat the survivor and maintaining the secrecy of information). Many social exercises were conducted to entrench the concept of the training workshop and the discussions which reinforce the goals of the workshop. In the end of the workshops they were evaluated by the participants as useful and contribute in raising awareness in women rights and social issues.

It should be noted that Iraqi Al-Amal Association office in Kirkuk is implementing a group of programs which concentrate on women rights and gender issues and the training workshops come within the activities of Al-Amal Family Guidance Centre which provides legal, psychological and social services for the women and also within Women against Violence project which focuses on women rights issues in CEDAW and 1325 resolution and education of the national plan to implement the resolution and increase the government and security sectors skills in treating women and violence survivors.

Al-Amal Conducts Santa Clause Activity with the Children of Al-Mansour Scout Camp

Under the Guise of “Santa for All” a group of volunteers within the program of spreading the culture of religions and nationalities dialogue in Iraq Conducted a festivity on the occasion of New Year on 31^st December 2016 in conjunction with the Child-Friendly Space Project in Al-Mansour scout camp in Al-Ghazaliya.

The activity aims to define the religious minorities through planting joy, solidarity and peace among children in the camp which are about 200 child through a festivity during which a Christmas tree was set up and decorated with participation of the children and singing songs of Christmas and wearing Santa Clause outfit by one of the volunteers and introduce it. Religions and minorities existing in Iraq were introduced in a fun and exciting way that the children participated in it. Flags and symbol of each minority and religion were used and talk about them briefly and in concluding the festive event Santa Clause distributed candy and gifts to the children.