A New Campaign Protects the Euphrates from Pollution
World Cleanup Day, 15 September, saw the launch of a new campaign by volunteers of the Peace Forum in Ramadi. They plan to defend Euphrates River against pollution, and they have joined up with the Ramadi Police Directorate, Ramadi Municipality and Anbar Environment Directorate, all of whom have shown spectacular support for the campaign thus […]
2nd Edition of the Kurdistan Social Forum Takes Place in Sulaymaniyah!
2nd Kurdistan Social Forum 24-25 October 2018, Sulaimani University Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq Un Ponte Per (UPP), Peace and Freedom Organization (PFO) and the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) would like to invite you to the annual event of the Kurdistan Social Forum, to take place in Sulaymaniyah from 24-25 October 2018 […]
Councils for Social Cohesion Launched in 4 Governorates
The Iraqi and Kurdistan Social Forums have launched a new initiative to promote social cohesion in 4 governorates. “Councils for Social Cohesion” have been established in Sulaymaniyah, Baghdad, Amara and Ramadi, coordinated by civil society organizations belonging to the working groups (masar) of the social forums. Within these councils community leaders, local authorities and civil […]
Youth in Babil Address Pollution of the Local Euphrates River Tributary
The Alyahodia River is a large tributary of the Euphrates, named after the city of Al-Hindiya, and known also as the Babylon Channel. In the past, its banks housed an intersection of cultures and religions which formed a thriving and integrated community. The original name of the river, Judaism River, dates back to 550 BC when […]
Iraqi Human Rights Activist Shot Dead in Basra
BBC News A female human rights activist has been shot dead in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, which has seen violent anti-government protests in recent weeks. Video posted online appears to show an unidentified man opening fire at Suad al-Ali as she gets into a car near a supermarket in the Abbasiya area. Another […]
First Mesopotamian Water Forum Announced for Sulaymaniyah April 2019 – Call for Contributions!
Save the Tigris Campaign and partners announce the first alternative civil society forum for water in Mesopotamia: the Mesopotamian Water Forum will be held from 6-8 April 2019 in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and will involve civil society actors from the states of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria. It will be an open space to […]
11 Local Social Forums Gather in Baghdad for their National Meeting
Arabic | عربي Eleven local social forums from different Iraqi cities met in Baghdad to discuss their role in the Iraqi Social Forum process. “We Love Iraq” meeting، Baghdad – 10/09/2018 The Karrada district, located in the heart of Baghdad, hosted a 3-day meeting of 11 social forums representing 11 different Iraqi cities. The […]
Water Uprising in Basra: 15 Protestors Lose Their Lives and Political Alliances Are Redrawn
Arabic | عربي Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative 11 September, 2018 “Try to drink tap water from anywhere here if you can,” said one of Basra’s tribal sheikhs, addressing the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. “Why do you treat Basra residents as second-class citizens?” The sheikh called on the Iraqi government to apologize for describing […]
Iraq: Climate-Related Security Risk Assessment
Arabic | عربي By Kawa Hassan and Camilla Born Middle East and North Africa Program & Working Group on Climate-Related Security Risks The following report was used in a July 2018 UN Security Council debate on the nexus between climate change and security, brought forward under the Swedish Presidency of the Council. Iraq is […]
Mrwary Festival in Sulaymaniyah Highlights Success Stories of Women
Arabic | عربي The city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region held its first festival to celebrate women’s rights. The working group on women’s rights of the Kurdistan Social Forum organized its ‘Mrwary Festival’ from 24-25 August in Hawary Shar Park in Sulaymaniyah. Through this festival, the working group aimed to promote the economic independence […]
‘Iraq is Dying’: Oil Flows Freely but Corruption Fuels Growing Anger
Arabic | عربي The Guardian by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad in Bani-Mansour The land of the Bani-Mansour clan north-east of Basra is flat and parched, spattered with dry crusts of salt and thorny shrubs. Clusters of palm trees form small patches of green in the otherwise dusty yellow and brown landscape. Nestled among them are about a dozen berms, […]
Basra Residents Reeling From Contaminated Drinking Water
Arabic | عربي Mustafa Saadoun, Al Monitor, August 31 2018 BASRA, Iraq — Human rights advocates and health officials estimate that 17,000 to 18,000 residents of Basra province have been poisoned by heavily polluted and salty drinking water. On Aug. 26, hundreds of residents stormed the Basra Health Directorate to protest the poor health services provided to those made […]