Since the fall of the former regime in 2003, violent extremism, regional instability, cross-border crime and weak local governance menaced the very existence of Iraq and shook the stability of its community with devastating repercussions, including high numbers of refugees and IDPs. Since the end of the military campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), local peace processes in Iraq have emerged at the forefront of the peacebuilding agenda. Developing strategies for peacebuilding
and stabilisation within its communities is a top priority for Iraq. Peacebuilding and stabilisation: should come in the form of a multifaceted strategy able to tackle, in the short, medium and long term, those
circumstances conducive for instability, backed by security measures and law enforcement.
Project Goals
In this light, in the path towards peace and stabilisation within communities, youth play an essential role. Young men and women often are, like in the case of Ninewa region, the largest segment in society and among the most affected by conflicts. With the right approach and incentives,
they can be positive connectors, instead of drivers of conflict and negative dividers. They also represent the future of local development, thus building their capacity as peace practitioners is not only key to conflict transformation, but also for strengthening democratic governance at the local and national levels.
Target Group(s)
The participants will be with approximately 40 youth per each of the five districts, coming from both the center of the district and other sub-districts/more rural areas, from different ethnoreligious identity groups from Ninewa. An equal gender ratio of 50% female and 50% male beneficiaries
shall be pursued. They will be university students, recent graduates and young professionals with experience either working or volunteering for public, private or civil society organisations from the sector and must have a strong and evidenced interest in peace building and conflict transformation and a high motivation for learning and participating in a long-term capacity development project. They will also include approximately 50 among the most skilled youth of Ninewa Community Dialog Committees and other GIZ SRN funded peacebuilding activities.#
Planned Outcomes/Achievements
The project aims at giving youth the opportunity to be involved in both, creating informed evidence for local conflict analysis through data collection and addressing local disputes themselves. The assignment will consist of trainings targeting young people between 18 and 35 years and residing in the provinces of Tel Afar, Mosul, Hamdaniya, Sinjar and Tel Kaif. The trainings will be developed across three levels of professionalization, namely: (1) enumeration and data collection, (2) conflict analysis and management, (3) mediation, including guided data collection simulation, a study trip abroad and two job fairs, with the aim of proving hands-on experience and bringing together youth and potential employers.
