The Save the Tigris River and Iraqi Marshes Campaign prepared a shadow report covering the water situation in Iraq as part of the reviewing process of Iraq’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights. The title of the shadow report is “The Ilisu dam and its impact on human rights in Iraq: and the Iraq government’s failure to act”. Through this report, the campaign aims to highlight the duties of Iraqi government to protect Iraqi’s right to water, and it deals with the failure of the Iraqi government to address this issue with the neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Iran and Syria.

The report refers to the risks of Ilisu Dam and the other dams system related to Ilisu which is being constructed on the Turkish side of the Tigris River. Where these dams threaten the imports of the Tigris River water in terms of quantity and quality, and thereby threaten humans and the environment of downstream countries: Iraq and Syria.

The campaign decided to send a representative to Geneva to submit this shadow report, as the members of the UN experts committee will review the report of the state of Iraq, to ​​present their comments and recommendations. The Report of the State of Iraq is devoid of any reference to the subject of water resources and Iraq’s relationship with neighboring countries that share the water resources of the Euphrates and Tigris River basin.

Review sessions will be conducted in the UN headquarters in Geneva at 28th, 29th, and 30th of September.

For a copy of the shadow report Click Here

For the report of the State of Iraq Click Here