Destruction Accelerates in Hasankeyf and Tigris Basin
++ Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive +++ Hasankeyf Matters +++ Destruction Accelerates in Hasankeyf and the Tigris Basin 30 Oct 2017 Announcement Environmental and heritage destruction have accelerated in Turkey’s historic city of Hasankeyf as crews work day and night, seven days a week to collapse vulnerable portions of the cliffs ringing the town and […]
Success Stories in Nonviolence from Iraqi Youth
A youth panel on non-violence, organized by the Iraqi Social Forum and the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative Baghdad – October 2017 On 21 October, in a unique event in Baghdad, the Baghdad La-Onf group, which works closely with the Iraqi Social Forum to promote nonviolent principles and action, organized their first youth panel. The […]
Iraqi Cities of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Gather under the Slogan “We Love Iraq”!
The Iraqi Social Forum (ISF) and the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Imitative (ICSSI) Baghdad – October 2017 Forty-eight activists representing nine local youth groups from different Iraqi cities met in Baghdad for three days to discuss ways forward for living together along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers within the program of “Coexistence trails in Mesopotamia […]
Stop All Military Operations Immediately, Dialogue Must Begin Now!
Fifty-seven Iraqi civil society organisations and groups, along with 12 International organisations have issued a call for an immediate end to all military operations and the initiation of dialogue between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government. Our civil society appeal “NO TO WAR, NO TO ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, THE ONLY SOLUTION IS DIALOGUE” asks the […]
Trade Unions and Civil Society Organizations Reconfirm Their Rejection of the Social Security Law
Iraqi trade unions reiterated their opposition to the draft social security law approved by the Iraqi Council of Ministers earlier this year, in “The Future of Social Security in Iraq” conference. According to the trade unions, the draft law is incompatible with the Iraqi constitution and fails to meet even the minimum standards of social […]
A Training in Nonviolence in Hit, the First Since its Liberation from Daesh
On Thursday, 5 October 2017 at the Shakoufyan Cultural Center, the Peace Forum in Hit organized a workshop on nonviolence. The training focused on building the skills needed to carry out nonviolent campaigns aimed at peaceful coexistence as an alternative to sectarian violence in Mesopotamia. This is the first workshop in Hit since its liberation […]
Youth of Syria Launch “We Love Qamishlo” Initiative
The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiate (ICSSI) Qamishli (or Qamishlo), a fertile city located in northeastern Syria on the border with Turkey, is a place characterized by its diverse population, inhabited by a mixture of Arabs, Kurds, Syriac, Assyrians and Armenians. From this unique location, the youth initiative, “We Love Qamishlo”, was organized by Doz, a […]
Women are Critical Peacebuilding Actors: Implementing UNSCR-1325 in Iraq
More than 3 years ago, in February 2014, the Government of Iraq launched its National Action Plan on UN Securitiy Council Resolution 1325 (2014-2018). It was the first country in the MENA Region to launch such a program. The Resolution concerns the important role of women in the prevention and resoltion of conflicts, peace negotiationsm […]
Chaldean Patriarch Sako Issues Call to Iraqi Leadership on Conflict in Iraq
Source: Aboun.org Chaldean Patriarch Louisl Sako has issued the following statement addressing the Iraqi leadership in the wake of the unprecedented deteriorating situation in northern Iraq: These days, our country is going through unprecedented circumstances that are the result of all that happened in Iraq from the north to the south for years and until […]
Another Kurdistan is Possible, of Diversity and Human Rights and Social Justice
Having participated in World Social Forum events in previous years, Iraq-Kurdish activists launched the Kurdistan Social Forum in October 2016 as a means to promote social justice movements in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Currently housed by Peace and Freedom Organization, the Kurdistan Social Forum is an open space for movements, organizations and individuals who […]
The Mashufna Cultural Center Opens in Nasiriya: a New Resource for Civil Society
The inscription in 2016 of the Marshlands into the UNESCO World Heritage List was an important milestone for Iraq, which would not have been possible without strong efforts of civil society across Iraq, and involvement of communities and local authorities. This is a success story that we believe can be extended across other issues in […]
ISF Interpretation Team Volunteers Take on Economic and Social Rights
By ICSSI Secretariat and ISF – October 2017 The Iraqi Social Forum held a specialized training on economic and social rights for its 9 interpretation team volunteers on Saturday, 7 October in Baghdad. The training was given by Wissam Gasab, ISF’s Coordinator of the Economic and Social Rights masar (path), and dealt with explaining the […]