Locations30 community facilitators trained as negotiators and mediators who promote reconciliation and reintegration in their communities
Training community negotiators and mediators to promote peace
December 18, 2023
Maryam Khalid Ahmed, one of the UNDP Youth Volunteers who took part in the negotiation and mediation training led by UNDP and Cligendael.
Photo credit: UNDP Iraq 2023
Maryam Khalid Ahmed has been dedicated to community youth groups since 2015. Originally seeking solace from the trauma of the ISIL conflict in Diyala—her hometown—she joined these groups as an escape.
"I was one of the first girls to join the volunteering space. I would collect food, clothes, and money to give to those who were displaced. While initially an escape from my own depression, I realized that it made me feel better, so I did it more," Maryam shared.
Now an active youth community group member, Maryam organizes various peacebuilding activities. Recently, she orchestrated a Ted Talk-style event in Diyala where youth shared their stories on stage, gaining recognition for their accomplishments.
Empowering community facilitators
Maryam Khalid Ahmed (left) makes a point during the negotiation and mediation training.
Photo credit: UNDP Iraq 2023
Maryam is one of the 30 community facilitators from Karbala, Diwaniya, Anbar, Diyala, Salah Al-Din, Ninawa, and Kirkuk who recently took part in training on negotiation and mediation organised by UNDP and Clingendael - the Netherlands Institute for International Relations. The training’s goal was to enrich community stability mechanisms with a pool of homegrown negotiators and mediators with the capacity to facilitate peaceful resolution of conflict in their communities.
Using an interactive approach over a three-day period, the trainers Jeremy Dommnich and Eugene van Kemenade from Clingendael engaged the participants in a variety of exercises and discussions to boost participants' negotiation and mediation skills – making them more confident as leaders in this area.
Fifteen of the trainees also received an extra four-day Training of Trainers (ToT) session, honing their ability to not only mediate and negotiate conflicts but also train others in their communities and facilitate community sessions and dialogue.
Ibrahim Basam Majid (left) participates in a group discussion during the negotiation and mediation training.
Photo credit: UNDP Iraq 2023
Ibrahim Basam Majid, a civil activist volunteering with NGOs in Mosul, Ninewa Governorate who took part in the training shared that, "This training has provided me with a strong foundation in negotiation, especially on how to work together despite our different viewpoints."
Majid, no stranger to negotiation, recounted his involvement in resolving a long-standing land ownership dispute between Christian and Shabak communities in Bartala district, Ninewa governorate. The communities reached an agreement after several days of negotiation and now live peacefully as neighbours.
"With this training, I will be able to serve my community even better," Majid affirmed.
A commitment to supporting community-led peace efforts
A cross-section of the newly minted negotiation and mediation trainers.
Photo credit: UNDP Iraq 2023
All 30 participants were awarded participation certificates to acknowledge their acquired skills.
“I want to emphasize that you are now agents of change in your communities - and UNDP will ensure you are provided with space and resources to use the knowledge you have gained to educate others, foster dialogue, and promote community acceptance,” Mr. Elliman Jagne, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative said at the close of the two-week training.
He emphasized that this was especially critical as the Government had directed the return and reintegration of all internally displaced persons and also those from Northeast Syria.
Mr. Elliman Jagne, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (left), and Mr. Jelle-Jochem Duits, the Second Secretary at the Netherlands Consulate in Erbil (left) presented Ahmed, one of the youth trainees with his certificate.
Photo credit: UNDP Iraq 2023
Speaking after him, Mr. Jelle-Jochem Duits, the Second Secretary at the Netherlands Consulate in Erbil also emphasized the importance of the trainees becoming a resource for peace in their community and reiterated the Government of Netherlands commitment to supporting efforts towards sustainable peace in Iraq.
Building Peace and Fostering Sustainability
Over the last five years, UNDP has been supporting reintegration and fostering community acceptance, through the provision of livelihood support including vocational training, business skills building, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) services to over 5000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees, host community members, and other vulnerable groups.
Through this type of training, UNDP hopes to build and empower a community of knowledgeable and skilled negotiators and mediators who will support the national efforts towards reconciliation and reintegration of IDPs and returnees in various communities. This will in turn promote community stability and sustainable peace, especially as Iraq transitions from a humanitarian to a new development phase.
ENDs.
UNDP’s Integrated Social Cohesion Programme supports efforts towards peaceful and more cohesive societies in Iraq – supporting efforts towards reintegration and reconciliation in various areas that had high displacement during the years of conflict. Its work in training community facilitators was supported by the Government of Denmark and facilitated by the Government of the Netherlands and Clingendael - the Netherlands Institute for International Relations.