UNAMI Training Ends with a Call to Strengthen the Capacities of Women to Participate Meaningfully in National Reconciliation and Historic Settlement Process

An advanced training to enhance the negotiation and mediation skills of local civil society groups and women leaders, organized by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and UN Women, concluded in Baghdad on 20 December with calls for increased participation of women and civil society groups in community reconciliation, national reconciliation and historic settlement. The training was a follow-up to the basic training and workshop delivered to the same participants in October 2016. The workshop aimed at training women leaders to be effective mediators and facilitators. It also focused on the important role women can play in peace building, negotiations and political processes. Similar training and workshops have been delivered to 60 women leaders, human rights defenders, members of provincial, district and sub districts councils in the Southern Governorates of Missan, Karbala, Najaf, Basra, Wasit and Babil.

Women leaders at the workshop emphasized their readiness to UNAMI/UNWOMEN to advocate for their full participation and to offer them opportunities to participate in negotiations and reconciliation alongside their male counterparts. They agreed to form networks within their communities to address post Daesh issues like trust building among affected communities, de-radicalization of violent extremism as well as reconciling communities. They urged the UN to support their efforts towards rebuilding broken communities in the aftermath of the conflict with Daesh. They also urged the UN to strengthen women’s participation in the negotiations and political arena which was limited for women.