Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative

The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) is dedicated to bringing together Iraqi and international civil societies through concrete actions to build together another Iraq, with peace and Human Rights for all.

News

Baghdad Acid Attack Survivor Recounts Traumatic Incident

Rudaw Maryam Rukabi, 16, dreamed of a career in media after completing her education. She did not know that refusing a marriage proposal would change her life forever when her suitor attacked her with acid in retaliation for the rejection.  Sifting through pictures of herself before the attack, she recounts to Rudaw the traumatic moment […]

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The Environment on the Border Areas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been Greatly Damaged, Due to Continuous Bombardment

With the decades-long bombardment on the border areas of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) by Iran and Turkey, the ongoing fighting between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and the constant border bombings by Turkey under the pretext of fighting the PKK are all causing significant damage in the area, specifically material and […]

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UNHCR Holds Event Against Gender-Based Violence in Erbil

K24 ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UN partner organizations, including UN WFP, SWEDO UNFPA, held an event near Erbil’s citadel on Monday as part of the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).  Every year since 2008, the United Nations Secretary General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, […]

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Iraq Flies Hundreds Back From Belarus Border as EU adds Sanctions

Al-Monitor Iraq has brought back over 400 of its citizens who chose repatriation after weeks stranded in dire conditions on the Belarus border and failed attempts to enter the EU. ERBIL, Iraq — The international media has been awash for weeks in photos and videos of Iraqis and other would-be migrants suffering from bitterly cold winter […]

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The Youth Movements and the Last Elections in Iraq: From the Square of Nasiriyah to the Iraqi Parliament

“We are entering the Green Zone and crossing the Al-Jumhuriya bridge, in memory of the martyrs of the October 2019 uprisings”. Saying these words, the new Iraqi movement IMTIDAD celebrated the extraordinary winning of 9 seats at the early elections. The elections, held on October 10th, inaugurated a new political phase of the country as […]

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In Speech to COP 26: President Barham Salih: Mesopotamian Revitalization is Strategic Framework to Tackle Climate Change in Iraq and Region

Iraq seeks to have access to a new environmental era to deal with the serious implications of climate change, Iraqi President Salih announced through a video while addressing the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The President said that Iraq has […]

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The Suffering of Kurdish Migrants Intensifies Amid a Standoff on the Poland-Belarus Border

A rain cloud arrived in the Belarus-Poland border sky on the night of November 8, hours after hundreds of migrants gathered in a forest, steps away from the frontier. Among them is a young Kurdish man who fled creeping despair and hopelessness in his hometown in the Kurdistan Region. Generations of Kurds have lived similar […]

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The Climate Crisis is a Human Rights Crisis

HRW Rights Should be at Center of COP26 Climate Deliberations As world leaders gather in Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) this week, the stakes could not be higher. From burning forests to sweltering cities, parched farmlands to storm-battered coasts, the climate crisis is taking a mounting toll on lives and livelihoods around the globe. […]

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Iraq: Yezidi Reparations Law Progress Welcome, but More Must be Done to Assist Survivors

New regulations passed by Iraq’s parliament in September on the Yazidi Survivors Law mark long-overdue progress for many who suffered atrocities committed by the Islamic State (IS) armed group, Amnesty International said. However, the Iraqi authorities must do more to address the needs of all survivors, including by specifically providing reparations for children who were […]

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Into Thin Air: New Report by Save the Tigris Examines Evaporation Losses From Dam Reservoirs in Iraq

Iraq is facing a mounting water crisis. With temperatures rising, drought conditions becoming more extreme, and riparian states further restricting flows into Iraq, the country’s water supply is shrinking even as demand is rising. In response, Iraq has doubled down on dam construction. Dams continue to be promoted across Iraq as a means of storing […]

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Militias Protest After Losses in Iraqi Election

al-monitor The results of Iraq’s Oct. 10 parliamentary elections came as a shock to political parties affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Units, as they lost more than half of their seats in parliament. BAGHDAD — Supporters of political parties associated with militias that lost big in the last elections have been protesting for seven days […]

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GCHR Activities During UN Human Rights Council’s 48th Session

GCHR The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) was involved in various advocacy activities during the 48th session of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, which ran from 13 September to 11 October 2021. GCHR organized and participated in five online side events and meetings to carry out advocacy to enhance the protection […]

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