
To prepare for the specific requirements of human rights monitoring in Ukraine, Marine Constant and her colleague, Aleksander Sekulić, underwent FBA's Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) in June 2022..
After the overthrow of long-term dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, a power vacuum was created, paving the way for the creation of the Islamic State (IS). In the summer of 2014, the terrorist group began taking large swaths of Iraq, and declared it their caliphate.
Following a large-scale counter-offensive, Iraq’s second biggest city Mosul was recaptured in 2017 by Iraqi government forces, with support from an American-led coalition. IS was declared defeated.
But remaining IS cells have continued to carry out terror attacks in Iraq. The country is also plagued by other armed groups. Tensions are strong between Shias, Sunnis and Kurds.
The Iraqi state lacks the ability to provide security for its citizens and to carry out succesful reconciliation and reconstruction programmes. Public mistrust is widespread in the highly politized state institutions. Another challenge is the high gender inequality.
Within the framework of Sweden’s development cooperation with Iraq, FBA is focused on one area:
Dialogue and peace mediation
Youth, especially women, have traditionally played a marginalized role in efforts for peace in Iraq. FBA has established a training programme for young Iraqis in order to strengthen their capacity to contribute to the ongoing peace process. Approximately 20 young Iraqis, representing different ethnic groups, different parts of the country and different civil society organizations working for peace in Iraq, are receiving dialogue and mediation and gender mainstreaming training. Half of the participants are women and half of them men.
Click here to read the entire strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with Iraq 2022–2026.
FBA part of the reconstruction of Iraq after IS
FBA's programme for young peacebuilders in Iraq inaugurated
Meet the youth fighting for peace in Iraq
Photo: David Stanley
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Amidst the perils of explosive devices, hostilities, and distressing civilian accounts, frontline monitors play a pivotal role in documenting human rights abuses within conflict zones. However, these monitors themselves confront significant stress and danger, requiring adept navigation of challenging circumstances to safeguard their own well-being as well as the safety of the vulnerable populations they serve. How can they adequately prepare?
2023-08-16 15:14FBA has both increased and adapted its work in Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion.
FBA in UkraineFBA is part of Sweden’s development aid within the area of peace and security
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