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Baghdad, 3 August 2022 - Eight years after facing an atrocious onslaught by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Yazidi community has still not achieved the peace and prosperity it truly deserves.

Thousands of Yazidis are yet to return to their families and loved ones. Their whereabouts remain unknown. Many continue to suffer mental anguish after years of captivity, torture, sexual violence and slavery, as well as profoundly inhumane treatment. Countless others are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of a beloved family member, if not the entire family. Meanwhile, many Yazidis remain displaced from their places of origin. Due to continuing tensions, their ancestral homeland in Sinjar is still deprived of the essential stability needed to rebuild their lives, free of fear and intimidation.

It must be clear that it is everyones responsibility to work relentlessly to ensure that the ongoing plight of the Yazidis ends now, and that every effort is made to provide the people of Sinjar with opportunities for a better future. The State is an umbrella for all, and its authority is the guarantor for every citizen of this country, irrespective of political affiliation, religion, or ethnic group. No Yazidi, nor any other Iraqi, should be a pawn in local or regional power competition.

This is why the Sinjar Agreement must be fully implemented, without further delay. Stable governance and security structures are vital. It will allow the displaced to finally return home, reconstruction efforts to be accelerated, and public service provision to be improved.

The United Nations will continue to promote accountability for ISIL crimes against the Yazidis to reinstate justice for all who have suffered from these heinous crimes. Freedom and justice go hand in hand with peace and development.

We salute the Yazidis resilience in preserving their culture and heritage despite ISIL attempts to erase them, and in spite of the countless challenges the community continues to face. We shall not forget those who were killed, injured or traumatized, nor those who remain missing: the search for them must continue until this painful chapter is closed.

As we commemorate this traumatic page of Iraqi history, we renew our commitment to peace and stability for the Yazidis and the people of Sinjar.

For more information, please contact: Mr. Samir Ghattas, Director of Public Information/SpokespersonUnited Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: ghattass@un.orgor the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org

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UN Iraq on commemoration of 2014 atrocities against Yazidis in Sinjar: peace, development, and accountability key for the community to flourish...

By Anadolu Agency Staff

DUHOK, Iraq (AA) The Ezidi community, living in harsh conditions in camps for eight years and unable to return to their homes due to PKK terrorists in northern Iraq's Sinjar region, say the international community has abandoned them.

"We cant go back to our homes due to some forces (PKK) in Sinjar and the problems people are experiencing there," Saud Seydo, a resident of the Sharya Refugee Camp, told Anadolu Agency.

"International organizations give us no help going back to our homes," he added.

Seydo, another camp resident, said: "We have no income, our financial situation is not good, and we cannot return to Sinjar."

The Ezidis, are unable to return to their homes because of the terrorist group PKK, according to Suleyman Hidir, another refugee from the camp, who said that everyone wants to live in their homes if they are safe, but they cannot in the current situation.

They are afraid of returning to their houses, refugee Ali Hudada said, adding that if the Iraqi government officially declares Sinjar safe, then they can return.

In an Aug. 3, 2014 attack on the Sinjar district, where Ezidis live, Daesh/ISIS kidnapped and killed thousands of people, including women and children, or detained them in areas they hold.

Some 300,000 people lived in Sinjar before the attacks, two-thirds of them Ezidi and the rest Sunni Kurds and Arabs.

Daesh/ISIS has been active in the Iraqi provinces of Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk, and Diyala, at a time when the federal government is struggling to contain attacks by the terrorist group by launching security and military operations in the countrys northern, western, and eastern regions.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, estimated to be about one-third of the countrys territory. But the PKK terror group remains active in the region.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Trkiye, the PKK listed as a terrorist organization by Trkiye, the US, and EU has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

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Northern Iraq's Ezidis say PKK terrorists, international neglect keeps them stranded in camps - Anadolu Agency | English

What's common to a traffic policeman in Djibouti, a healthcare worker in Malta, a manager at a Sports City in Jordan and a computer engineering student in Iraq? They're all now in Mahabalipuram, near Chennai, playing in the 44th Chess Olympiad.

The major headlines in chess usually deal with Russia, Norway, India, the USA and several other major global powers, but the charm of the Olympiad lies in meeting participants from non-traditional chess countries who've made it here to pit their wits. And, with 187 teams in the open section and 164 teams in the women's section, Mahabalipuram is a global village.

Abdallah Hussein Ali, who turns 30 next year, has made his first trip away from home. He introduces himself with a polite bow and says he's from Djibouti. He wants to share his story but says something you'd never hear anywhere else during a sporting event: "I'm actually playing a game right now. I quickly sneaked out for a bathroom break. Can I speak to you after my match?"

Off he strides, in his pistachio green overalls. True to his word, he shares his story after his game. "I trained very hard, for two years, for the Olympiad. I was getting stronger and was among the best in my country but when you come here you see...[the level of competition] but all is well," he says with a hearty laugh.

"The Japanese player [Kojima Shinya, his opponent] was so strong, wow. He was too good. He made the kill move when I came back from the bathroom break. I lost focus and he closed out the game," he laments while adding that he would have preferred to have started with white pieces.

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Ali, whose day job is as a traffic policeman, works for close to 20 hours a stretch and then has the next 20 hours off, before repeating the cycle. His free time goes in chess. "My wife gets annoyed with me because I play chess in whatever free time I get. She calls me and I say I am busy, I will call you back...I am with my other wife [chess!]," he says with a belly laugh.

"Meeting so many new people, trying out new food, the competition here...it's really opened my eyes. I'm so happy to be here," he says. He's planned a week-long vacation in Ethiopia with his wife and eight-month-old son to rejuvenate after the Olympiad.

Mansour Sameer (57), has played chess for the better part of 30 years, and is a Chess Olympiad veteran. And he's had a long-standing love affair with India.

"I am thrilled to finally be in the birthplace of chess. I'm convinced chess was founded in India because I've read about how the Indian military was set up back in the day - the cavalry, infantry, elephantry, and chariotry. Chess was called chaturanga in Sanskrit, while we called it shatranj in Arabic," he says.

"In fact, we don't even call it chess...we refer to chess as laeibah al hindi (the Indian game) back at home," he adds. Mansour is one of six International Masters from Jordan. His son, Loay Sameer, is also on the list, making it two International Masters in the same house.

"I've read so much about the civilisations in India and have studied about the great Ramanujan [Srinivas Ramanujan, the maths genius]. In fact, many people who study maths in Jordan know about Ramanujan. Is there a museum of his I can visit in Chennai?" he asks. He perhaps would have driven past the Ramanujan IT Park on his way to Mahabalipuram and is on the lookout for a museum now.

Uranchimeg Psaila, a Woman Candidate Master from Malta, isn't playing today. She's come to the venue to soak in the vibes and meet new people, she says. Uranchimeg, or Urna as she likes to be called, is Mongolian by birth and adopted Maltese citizenship after marrying Clarence Psaila, a FIDE Master from Malta.

She didn't know a move on the chessboard until she met Clarence, who convinced her to pick up the sport. "I picked up chess from my husband around 15 years ago, but I'm not very good at it," she says with a sheepish smile.

"Malta is a very small country, you can't just play chess you know. I work as a caretaker in an old people's home. I really like it, I like helping people," she says as Viswanathan Anand walks by. "I haven't met him but I've heard a lot about him."

Urna also knows of Andre Schembri, the former Maltese football captain who played for Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League two years ago. Malta's population is less than half of Chennai's population. Yet sport, being the true uniter it is, has somehow brought her to the shores of Chennai.

A little further away from Urna is Rabeea Sabah Nori, a 20-year-old from Iraq. He's the youngest player in his team by a good 15 years and enjoyed a win over Thomas Larry of Dominica. Rabeea, whose name means spring in Arabic, is a football savant - his favourite club is Barcelona. "Yeah, Messi has left but has to leave at some point," he says before he can be quizzed about it. He points to his tucked-in t-shirt and says "I picked that up from Karim Benzema." We proceed to speak about Benzema's stellar campaign last year and how Rabeea had a terrible Fantasy Premier League [FPL] season.

Rabeea, who is pursuing a course in computer engineering, hopes chess can be as popular as football in Iraq one day. "People are warming up to the sport, but of course, football is the most popular sport. There are a few more young players around my age, coming up now and that could help popularise chess," he says.

From Malta, Djibouti and Iraq, the Chess Olympiad has brought the global family to the board.

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From Malta, Djibouti and Iraq, Chess Olympiad brings the global family to the board - ESPN

Oxfam is an international confederation counting 17 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries.

Oxfam has been working in Iraq since the 1990s with both an expanding and contracting presence. In 2014, Oxfam established its first office in Mosul when the conflict with ISIS began and the country was thrown into a new humanitarian crisis, in an already fragile context. In 2021, Oxfam is amongst the largest NGOs operating in the country. With nine offices and almost 200 employees.

Oxfam in Iraq's strategy is shaped around 3 key pillars 1) Humanitarian response 2) Governance and 3) Equality. Within each of these pillars, intervention covers the following sectors: Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods, Water and Sanitation and Hygiene, Gender and Protection, Emergency lifesaving support, and Local Humanitarian Leadership.

In this framework, Oxfam in Iraq has recently launched a new project, Masarouna, aiming at supporting young peoples advocacy to achieve their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The program is implemented in six countries/territories of the MENA region. Masarouna identifies two main interlinked pathways to achieve the desired change. Pathway 1 is focused on the direct influencing of decision-makers and society to address inadequate legislation and harmful traditional social and cultural norms through strengthened youth engagement. Pathway 2 is focused on strengthening civil society, reclaiming civic space, and formation of new partnerships and alliances.

In the specific context of Iraq, young people face a series of challenges that limit their full enjoyment of SRHR: lack of evidence-based information about SRHR, limited access to information, lack of YP-friendly SRHR services, discrimination etc...

In this context, the Masarouna project in Iraq supports YP in accessing comprehensive information about SRHR, with a specific geographical focus on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Through increased knowledge and the building of alliances and solidarity, Masarouna in Iraq will equip YP individuals to demand their SRHR and create a supportive environment to enjoy them.

Under the Masarouna project, Oxfam in Iraq and the project partners will be working with Young People (YP) to influence decision-makers and different actors of society to address legislation and transform social norms. In addition to creating a lasting systemic and behavioral change while addressing root causes and barriers preventing YP from claiming their SRHR. Furthermore, it will work toward mobilizing, engaging, and building relationships with the communities we work with, starting from the designing process and up to the implementation of the project influencing Strategy. The project influencing work will also include knowledge sharing, creating spaces for engagement and dialogue, and building networks and alliances.

Overall, the influencing work with partners and allies under the project will aim to:

Cultivate active citizenship by working with young people, underrepresented groups, and social movements to increase their participation in decision-making spaces and secure their rights.

Provide young people with knowledge and skills to participate in decision-making spaces and work with citizens, partners, civil society, and duty bearers to better engage with young people.

Shift narratives on SRHR issues that concern young people in MENA to open space for policy change through communications, media networking, and the use of influence.

Transform public and official attitudes, social norms, and behaviors of the public and officials that deny SRHR and prevent policy implementation.

Link national-level youth-led activities to relevant regional and global influencing activities within the domain of Gender Justice and SRHR.

The Consultancy's overall objective is to develop an Iraq contextualized SRHR influencing strategy for the Masarouna project to support the design and implementation of the influencing interventions under the project. This will include the activities implemented by the Oxfam team and the project partners.

The Consultant is expected to develop the Strategy through the following methodology:

- Study the already available documentation on SRHR within the context of Iraq and KRI. Documentation consists of Masarouna baseline documents, Masarouna global influencing strategy.

- Conduct an additional comprehensive and extensive desk review on SRHR within the context of Iraq and KRI. This should include specifications of the context, gaps, and opportunities. The context analysis should provide strong insights into the social, cultural, religious, and legal environment in which SRHR exists in Iraq and KRI. It will also provide a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders and YPs perception, understanding, and ability to advocate for their SRHR rights.

- Conduct consultation meetings, which will guide the development of the Strategy, with different stakeholders, including:

members of national civil society,

members of the international community,

different and diverse groups of the community, including YP,

Oxfam team includes the project team in Iraq, regional teams, and relevant members of Oxfam affiliates,

relevant authorities' representatives,

- Conduct 2-3 workshops with identified stakeholders, mainly Oxfam team, Oxfam partners, and YP, and relevant members of the national civil society, and international community if relevant to develop the Strategy's objective and framework. The number of workshops can be adjusted according to the consultant's workplan.

- Develop a comprehensive influencing strategy with, but not limited to, clear objectives, stakeholder analysis, messages and indicators, and risk analysis.

- The Consultant will present the draft strategy through a validation work plan with the representatives of the groups who were part of the consultation meetings.

Oxfam will provide all relevant documents under the Masarouna project, including the project proposal, baseline assessment, and an in-depth analysis carried out by the implementing partners.

The Consultant is expected to commit to the following deliverables:

Inception report outlining the methodological approach and detailed understanding of the assignment (max. 10 pages).

Comprehensive and complete influencing strategy. The structure and content of the Strategy will need to be agreed on beforehand with Oxfam team.

At least 3 consultation sessions/meetings with stakeholders, partners and YP's representatives

At least 1 validation workshop.

Debriefing session with Oxfam team.

A final report indicating the summary of the activities, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.

The Masarouna Project Manager in coordination with the Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Manager, who will provide technical and practical supervision of the assignment.

Oxfam will be responsible for covering the following costs:

The venue, meals, and other needs for implementing the consultation meetings and workshops..

Media & photos etc.

Follow-up on action plans developed and status of scaling.

The Consultant will be responsible for covering the following costs:

All transportation and logistics-related costs for the Consultant and the team if valid.

Accommodation throughout the duration.

Stationary and other material support that are required during the training.

In case of an international consultant, visa and tickets.

The Consultant will be paid the agreed rate upon satisfactory completion of the assignment, including submission of deliverables and reports as per the below schedule:

40% will be paid upon signing the contract.

40% will be paid upon delivering the training.

20% will be paid after the submission and approval of the final reports.

The consultancy is expected to be carried out in a period of 30 days. The timeline can be extended and the number of working days can be refined based on the Consultant's work plan, nevertheless, early delivery is considered a plus.

The Consultant should submit a full financial plan, considering the financial elements mentioned in point 7.

The following key technical requirements will be taken into consideration when assessing consultants' technical competencies:

University degree in journalism, community development and communication studies, sociology, or other relevant fields.

The Consultant should have proven previous experience in conducting similar training and working with similar groups.

Proven skills and experience in developing influencing strategies.

High proficiency in understanding Iraq's context, SRHR, and influencing for it.

Familiarity with constraints and challenges encountered while working on similar topics.

Strong English skills, Kurdish and Arabic are recommended as policy documents and other governmental documents might be available in Kurdish or Arabic language.

11. Scoring criteria for selection of the service provider/consultant

SN Criteria Weight % Evaluation method

1 Technical proposal 70 % Review of the technical proposal

2 Financial proposal 30 % Review of the financial proposal

Total 100 %

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested individuals or consultancy firms with relevant experience and skills based on the ToR can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI), including the following:

Cover letter of no more than 1 page introducing the consultant/company and intention to deliver the assignment. The cover letter should also indicate the consultants' availability for the proposed period.

Technical proposal should provide details on the proposed methodology responding to the ToR and the deliverables in line with the competencies required for the assignment, including references to experience with similar assignments; a work plan detailing the anticipated timeline to undertake the assignment and finalize the deliverables, clearly indicating the dates of delivery; CVs of the consultant/consulting team directly involved in the assignment, including their specific roles; and three professional referees. A technical proposal should not be longer than 10 pages, excluding annexes.

Financial proposal includes a full budget of the offer, covering all major anticipated costs.

Statement on the willingness to follow Oxfam's Code of Conduct and guidance regarding safe programming.

Please submit the EOI and other documents by midnight Iraq time on the 16th of August toprocurementiraq@OXFAM.org.uk with Development of Iraq contextualized SRHR Influencing Strategy in the subject line. No EOIs will be accepted after the deadline.

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Consultant - Development of an Iraq contextualized Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Influencing Strategy - Iraq - ReliefWeb

BAGHDAD -- A chlorine gas leak at a water purification plant in southern Iraq injured at least 300 people, officials said Monday.

The incident happened Sunday night when the potentially fatal gas leaked from a container in the plant in the district of Qal'at Sukkar north of the southern city of Nasiriyah.

Hundreds of people suffering severe respiratory distress from exposure to the chlorine were taken to a nearby hospital, said Abbas Jaber, Dhi Qar province's deputy governor.

He said a committee was formed by the governor Monday to investigate the circumstances surrounding the leak. The negligent (officials) will be held accountable, he said.

Dhi Qar is among Iraq's poorest and and historically most underdeveloped provinces. Residents complain of a lack of electricity and access to drinking water. It has been a hotbed of anti-government protest and many youths from the province participated in the mass 2019 protest movement, the largest in Iraq's modern history.

Public safety hazards have struck the beleaguered city before. Last year, over 90 people, patients and health care workers were killed when a fire broke out in Nasiriyah's al-Hussein Teaching Hospital. Officials blamed lack of safety measures and negligence.

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Chlorine gas leak in Iraq's south injures at least 300 - ABC News