On 25 May 2019, the Fallujah Social Cohesion Council in cooperation with the Minorities and Displaced People masar (path) of the Iraqi Social Forum held a workshop on “The Reduction of Risks and Disasters Law.”

The session started with a summary of the law and and overview of its key components. This was followed by a discussion about why it has not been approved: the law was introduced to the relevant authorities in 2012 and aims at guaranteeing Iraqi citizens the right to financial, moral, health, educational and environmental compensation in the event of a disaster. The Minorities masar emphasized the need for strong advocacy campaigns within the governorates and the local community as a way to put pressure on the government to adopt the law so that it is in place in the event that such rights are challenged.

The meeting concluded with a set of recommendations:

1. the Fallujah Social Cohesion Council should receive a copy of the draft resolution;
2. a preparatory meeting should be organized with legal experts in the relevant institutions to study the draft law and propose some amendments;
3. a meeting with the deputy heads of the crisis cell in the province should be held;
4. a meeting with a member of the Legal Committee in the Iraqi Parliament for the province of Anbar should be scheduled.

The Fallujah Social Cohesion Council is one of the social cohesion councils operating in 4 governorates in Iraq (Sulaymaniyah, Baghdad, Falluja, and Maysan). It works in cooperation with the Information Center for Research and Development, Tammuz Organization and the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative and the Un Ponte Per Italian Organization within the framework of the Iraqi Social Forum and is supported by the EU Project, “Mesopotamian Youth for Democratic Governance, Social Cohesion, and Reconciliation in Iraq.”

Mohammed Ibrahim

The Fallujah Social Cohesion Council