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BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

Thi-Qar, one of the southernmost governorates of Iraq along the Euphrates basin, shares an emerging environmental degradation problem with the rest of governorates in the south which has affected peoples immediate and long-term socio-economic prospects. As of recently, this has coupled with Iraq-wide governance and financial challenges. This has led to instability in the south of Iraq, especially Thi-Qar, making this area a particular hotspot for fragility as compared to the rest of the country, with structural issues ranging from high levels of poverty, low levels of human capital, and lack of infrastructure development. In the governorate capital, Nasiriyah, as in other neighbouring urban areas such as Basra or Al-Amarah, people have protested in large scale since 2015 against their deteriorating living conditions, in a period where the government and the international community were focused on the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) conflict ravaging Iraqs north. The initial months of the protests in Nassiriya were particularly intense with clashes in the streets.

As of 2021, Thi-Qar remains the main stronghold of the protests in Iraq, concentrated in Nasiriyah. Despite the different attempts from security forces and other armed groups to break the protests, often with harsh actions leaving several casualties many residents continue protesting and asking for their demands to be implemented.In the past two years the protests in Nasiriyah have led to the change of multiple police chiefs and governors, but with no manifest improvement of the structural issues people suffer from. The most recent attempt to appease protests has been to appoint a new governor for Thi-Qar who was one of five candidates that was presented by the protestors to the Iraqi government.

To better understand social fragility and challenges to resilience in Thi-Qar, focus must be placed on what makes violence spiral up and become increasingly protracted. Rural areas in Thi-Qar, in particular, are narrowly connected to fragility present in general in the governorate, although it may manifest differently. Different drivers were found through interviewing community members and institutional actors alike, ranging from the inability to pursue traditional rural livelihoods, absence of institutional responsiveness, bleak outlooks and lack of agency of youth, as well as social norms that are increasingly unable to foster change and respond to challenges peacefully .

Resilience-building in Thi-Qar, thus, faces entrenched issues that have made the governorate a particularly fragile region in Iraq for years. This is seen in key indicators of fragility from 2012 in Table 1, obtained from the last nation-wide government held household survey available in Iraq. All districts in Thi-Qar systematically doubled the Iraq average in terms of poverty and male youth unemployment. It shows that almost half of families in the governorate were living below the poverty line and more than half of male youth were already struggling to find sustainable employment. Against this background it is not surprising to find that rural Thi-Qar has been a source of young recruits for the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) since 2014, as they offered employment prospects to a much neglected group. These units supported Baghdads fight against ISIL as a response to a fatwa issued by the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to defend Iraq and its citizens, and remain mobilised after the formal end of the conflict in what is a very politicised topic impacting the future of Iraq.

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Improving prospects for peace and stability in vulnerable communities in southern Iraq [EN/AR] - Iraq - ReliefWeb

By Shelly Kittleson

BAGHDAD - March marks the one-year anniversary of an Iraqi law meant to grant financial compensation to victims of the Yezidi genocide.

The Iraqi parliament passed the Yezidi Survivors Law one year ago this month after debating it for two years. However, civil society organizations in the country warn that insufficient funds have been allocated to implement it.

Meanwhile, continued insecurity in the Yezidi ethno-religious group's traditional homeland in northwestern Iraq and insufficient funds to implement the law leaves little for IDPs and refugees from the suffering ethno-religious minority to go back to.

The Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), an alliance of Iraqi civil society organizations, held a press conference in Baghdad earlier this month to mark the anniversary and claimed no funding had yet been granted for its implementation this year.

A statement issued by the coalition claimed that:" this groundbreaking law is one of the very few examples of states taking deliberate action to specifically address the rights and needs of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence".

It stressed, however, that "any law is only as good as its implementation" and that: "Apart from the preliminary emergency funding allocated in 2021, no financial means have, as of yet, been envisaged to support the sustainable and thorough implementation of the law in 2022." Thousands of members of the ethno-religious group were killed, displaced or abducted after the Islamic State (ISIS) took over their area in the northwestern part of Iraq close to both the Turkish and the Syrian border in August 2014.

Over 2,000 women - many of whom enslaved and tortured sexually, psychologically, and physically by ISIS fighters - remain missing.

Some have been found in recent months in the al-Hol IDP camp thought to house only family members of ISIS in northeastern Syria, infamous for the risks and poor conditions within the camp. Others were taken by ISIS fighters who "married" them to other areas of Syria.

Thousands of Yezidi remain internally displaced within Iraq, most of whom in the Kurdistan Region, almost five years after the country declared victory against ISIS in 2017.

Many others fled abroad with a significant number leaving to Germany, where there had been a large Yezidi community even before the emergence of ISIS. It was a German court that in December of last year held the world's first criminal trial addressing genocide against the Yezidis, leading to the conviction of a man known as Taha Al. J for genocide and crimes against humanity. The case marked the first time a former ISIS member had been convicted of genocide.

Numerous refugees who returned to Iraq on flights from the border between Belarus and Poland late last year, amid freezing conditions and a sealed border, were from the Yezidi minority group.

Some of the Yazidis that arrived in Erbil on humanitarian flights in the autumn said that they did not have funds even for transportation back to the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps that had previously been their homes for years.

Many now watch the open-door policy towards Ukrainians fleeing their home country as well with something akin to despair.

Late last month, the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD) began digging up seven mass graves in the Yezidi-majority town of Sinjar, much of which was destroyed by ISIS and the fighting to retake it from the group.

The presence of several non-state armed groups operating in the Sinjar area also prevents the return of IDPs and remains a source of instability. An agreement signed in late 2020 to remove these groups - including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which trained and engaged in recruitment for a local branch of fighters - remains unimplemented.

Though bombs are not falling on them and they are no longer being rounded up and shot in mass, many Yezidis fear a slow death in an area filled with painful memories while depending indefinitely on humanitarian aid in camps for survival.

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Iraq: Little to return to for Yezidi IDPs and refugees - General news - ANSAMed - ANSAmed

Baghdad, 13-14th March 2022 - 41 government legal advisors and veterinary representatives throughout Iraq participated in the workshop hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the title of veterinary legal legislation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, and within the activities of the Project to Improve Animal Health Service Delivery and Disease Control in Iraq funded by the Defence Threat Reduction Agency American (DTRA). The workshop aimed to introduce regulatory mechanisms for animal disease surveillance and control, import and export of animals and their products, as well as to bridge the gap between animal health services and disease control legislation and its practical application.

The representative of the FAO organization in Iraq, Dr. Salah Al-Hajj Hassan, addressed opening remarks by greeting and thanking the attendees. He affirmed the organization's commitment to adopting modern concepts and values in the "One Health" approach to address health threats to animals, humans, plants and the environment. He added that this workshop provides an opportunity to exchange information and ideas on Iraqi animal health legislation and related regulations and how to move forward in amending them in accordance with OIE and international standards. He also explained that all recommendations will be reviewed for the purpose of their announcement after coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Representative of his excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Raed Haddad, the legal advisor to the minister conveyed the greetings of his excellency the Minister of Agriculture, in addition to praising the effective cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization and the organization's role in implementing activities and programs funded by donors to support the agricultural sector in Iraq.

While the head of the Iraqi Veterinarians Syndicate, Dr. Samira Latif, explained the role of FAO in supporting the agricultural sector, both plant and animal, and the importance of holding these specialized training workshops, including this one (Veterinary Legislation).

The legal advisor to the Iraqi Lawyers Syndicate, Mr. Ahmed Majid Al-Hassan, stressed the importance of involving the Association in studies on veterinary legal legislation, thanking the role of the FAO by shedding light on this important issue.

The workshop was attended by the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources/Kurdistan Regional Government, representative of the Syndicate of Veterinarians in Kurdistan, The deans of both veterinary colleges in Baghdad and Duhok, with the participation of officials and representatives of veterinary services from Erbil and Baghdad, in addition to the targeted governorates (Duhok, Nineveh, Anbar, Wasit, Muthanna and Basrah).

The training included of presentations, group work, practical examples and case studies to enrich discussions on elements of veterinary legislation, including animal disease control and animal production, and was supplemented by the exchange of observational experiences and the exchange of information among the participants.

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Improving Delivery of Animal Health Services and Disease Surveillance in Iraq (Legislation Training workshop) - Iraq - ReliefWeb

The UAEs crucial World Cup qualifier against Iraq, originally set for Baghdad next week, will be played at a neutral venue outside the host country.

The Football Association confirmed on Wednesday that the March 24 tie, the penultimate match day in Group A that has major implications in the race for Qatar 2022, will no longer be staged in the Iraqi capital.

The National understands the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will confirm the new venue within the next 24 to 48 hours.

A statement from the FA read: Fifa and the AFC have decided to transfer the national team match against Iraq in Group A of the 2022 World Cup qualification, which is scheduled to be played on March 24, to a neutral venue. This venue will be announced in the upcoming days.

With two matches in the final round remaining, the UAE sit third in Group A and in pole position to secure its play-off spot. Iran and South Korea have already sealed the top two places that guarantee direct entry to the World Cup. After the rescheduled Iraq encounter, the UAE round off their campaign against South Korea in Dubai on March 29.

Should the UAE finish third in Group A, they would enter a play-off against the third-placed side in Group B currently Australia with the winner of that tie then progressing to the intercontinental play-off for a berth at the Middle East's first World Cup.

At present, the UAE are three points above Lebanon in fourth, with fifth-placed Iraq one point further back. The national team have only once previously appeared at a global finals, in 1990.

The UAE are currently training in Dubai with new manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena, the Argentine who was appointed last month as successor to Bert van Marwijk. The UAE were set to leave for Iraq next Tuesday.

Arruabarrena, 46, has been tasked initially with guiding his new side through the finale to World Cup qualification, with the play-off spot the national teams to lose.

Van Marwijks departure came as a shock, given the final round had only two matches to run. The Dutchman, in his second stint as manager, had been heavily criticised following the UAEs exit at the quarter-final of the Fifa Arab Cup in December, when they lost 5-0 to hosts Qatar, but had managed the national team through the most recent set of qualifiers in January and February.

Arruabarrena, meanwhile, has experience of managing in the Emirates, having enjoyed successful spells at both Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli.

However, the UAE represents his first foray into international management. He was most recently employed at Egyptian side FC Pyramid, but was dismissed in June last year, seven months into his contract. Arruabarrenas contract with the UAE runs until next years Asian Cup.

Updated: March 16, 2022, 4:56 PM

Continue reading here:
UAE's crucial 2022 World Cup qualifier against Iraq to be played at neutral venue - The National

These are troubled and tragic times. After many years of peace, war has reared its evil head on the continent of Europe, bringing death, destruction and untold suffering to Ukraine. Is humanity on the threshold of a new era of violence, where international disputes are resolved not by civilised negotiations and respect for international law but by force of arms, regardless of what the human cost may be?

As I write, it is being reported that my home country, Iraq, was hit by a barrage of missiles fired from Iran. It brings to mind the terrible war that was fought between the two countries through most of the 1980s. I was not yet born, but from my parents and others of that generation, I grew up with a constant awareness of what happened during those years and the hundreds of thousands of lives that were lost on both sides. Since then, Iraq has experienced further devastating conflicts. I witnessed, and sometimes personally experienced, the suffering and destruction that these caused, and saw at first-hand how often those who bore the brunt were innocent civilians.

From this, I learned from an early age that war is a tragedy that has no winners, regardless of which side comes out on top, and that peace is something precious that we should all be striving to achieve. Too often, however, peace has been elusive because of the hatred and intolerance that remains so sadly prevalent in the way people of different backgrounds and beliefs think about and relate to each other.

In 2017, I was honoured to represent Iraq at the Miss Universe competition and had the opportunity of meeting fellow contestants from all over the world. One of them was Miss Israel, Adar Gandelsman. Iraq and Israel were officially still in a state of war with one another, but so far as we were concerned, this made no difference, and we became friends.

I then decided to post a photo of the two of us on social media. It was not a political gesture signalling support for the Israeli government, nor was it aimed in any way to undermine the Palestinian cause. Rather, it was a sincere expression of hope and desire for peace between our two countries. That, however, was not how many other people saw it, both in my homeland and elsewhere in the world.

Before long, I was being called a traitor and receiving death threats and instead of condemning the threats and supporting my right to freedom of expression, the Iraqi government demanded that I remove the post (which I didnt do) and forced me to denounce Israeli policies. My family was also targeted by this hate campaign, and eventually were forced to leave the country.

From the way my family and I were treated, and by what I have learned since then, I have come to recognise that those calling most loudly for punitive action to be taken against Israel are not pro-peace nor are they even pro-Palestinian, but rather simply anti-Israel, and that so far as the relationship between Arabs and Israelis is concerned, this is deeply rooted in the antisemitic belief systems taught in Muslim countries and which are continually reinforced by biased media.

As a result of my experiences, I was inspired to commit myself to working for peace between Muslims and Jews, Arabs and Israelis, in the Middle East and beyond. To this end, I established the NGO Humanity Forward, and have since had the opportunity of addressing numerous global forums, including the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2019. During that speech I denounced anti-Semitism and criticised Arab countries for failing to condemn Hamas for inciting terror and dismissing Israel as a potential ally because of ingrained antisemitic attitudes. As a result of my speech, I was called a traitor and the Iraqi parliament pledged to cancel my nationality and citizenship. In any case, it is not safe for me to return to the land of my birth, and I must now live as a political exile.

The Miss Universe experience and what happened to me thereafter have shown me that negotiating peace for Israel and Palestine is not a betrayal of the Arab cause but a vital step to end conflict and suffering for both peoples.

I knew that South Africa was a country whose people had successfully negotiated a transition from white minority rule to multiracial democracy, and that through this had emerged one of historys greatest icons of peace and reconciliation, Nelson Mandela. It therefore came as a great shock to me to read that Mandla Mandela, a grandson of this inspirational figure, had called on Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane to withdraw from last years Miss Universe competition because it was taking place in apartheid Israel. This I saw as a sad betrayal of the values and principles that Nelson Mandela had embodied, not to mention a thoroughly sexist attempt to sabotage a young womans dreams and aspirations and said as much in a widely publicised social media post. Fortunately, Mswane resisted the politically motivated campaign against her and went on to achieve a prestigious third place in the competition.

Despite the persistence of ingrained prejudices, the past two years has seen some encouraging developments in the Middle East. Most notable has been the conclusion of the Abraham Accords, whereby four Arab states the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco committed to normalising relations with Israel.It is to be hoped that these breakthroughs will pave the way to a new era of peace, reconciliation and cooperation in the region. Ultimately, it is only through a shared commitment to the values of peace, empathy and mutual respect that war and all the suffering that it entails will be consigned to history and never again be a blight on the human race.

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When Miss Iraq met Miss Israel: War is a tragedy that has no winners - Mail and Guardian