Events - Syria/Iraq Office
Workshop
Iraq Policy Group (IPG) – Core Group Workshop
August 6 - 7, 2019 - Smallville Hotel - Beirut
The Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) initiates the Iraq Policy Group (IPG) in cooperation with Al-Nahrain University of Baghdad and with the support of international academics. The IPG brings together regional and international experts involved in public administration, good governance, decentralization, economic development and security sector reform. The first meeting of the IPG will take place in Beirut on the 6th and 7th of August 2019. The members will come together on a regular basis to meet with representatives of the Prime Minister Office (PMO) and the Iraqi government for intensive consultations. Along the current decentralization efforts in Iraq, its associated challenges and obstacles, the role which regional and international partners can play will be discussed. Since Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has taken office, there has been growing hope for a sustainable political and economic development of the country. Iraq suffers from weak institutions, political and social polarization, inadequate infrastructure and a rapidly growing population. In direct exchange with Iraqi government representatives, the IPG will advise and develop reform plans that correspond with the ideas of the new government. This will make it possible for the reform plans to be implemented with greater success. Thereby, they will contribute to a sustainable stabilization and economic prosperity in Iraq.
Workshop
Northeast Syria the Day After
KAS and LISA Host Workshop on Strategies to Stabilize the Northeast of Syria after the US-Withdrawal
With the support from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Syria/Iraq Office, the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs (LISA) will organize a workshop on the economic and political situation in Syria, focusing particularly on the northeast of the country. This is especially relevant in the context of the possible upcoming US-withdrawal from that region- a recent development that motivates a debate on the involvement of external actors. The northeast also holds an economical importance in Syria, given its rich oil resources. The options of economic development in this region will be discussed throughout this workshop, as well as possible ways to political settlement in the northeast especially and in Syria generally.
Forum
Discussing the Challenges Facing the Middle East
KAS, and IRIS Organize Annual Forum in Iraq
On March 6 and 7, 2019, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung will support the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) of the American University of Iraq Sulaimani by hosting its sixth annual Sulaimani Forum. The two-day forum will bring together key international and regional policy makers, stakeholders, and analysts for discussions about challenges facing Iraq, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and the Middle East region in general. This year, the consultations will be focusing on the relationship between Iraq and its neighbors, good governance and inclusive economic growth, with a special consideration of the ongoing challenges of government formation in Baghdad and Erbil. In the past years, the Sulimani Forum has become one of the prominent events in the Middle East, gathering world-leading political figures, including (Prime-) Ministers and Presidents.
Workshop
KAS and Al-Haq: Local Engagement to Promote Peace in Kirkuk and Salah al-Din
Increasing youth participation to promote peace through proper social and political engagement
KAS and Al-Haq conduct a workshop to enable the youth of Kirkuk and Salah al-Din to get more involved in the process of conflict resolution and peace building
Workshop
KAS and Al-Haq: Local Engagement to Promote Peace in Kirkuk and Salah al-Din
Increasing youth participation to promote peace through proper social and political engagement
KAS and Al-Haq conduct a workshop to enable the youth of Kirkuk and Salah al-Din to get more involved in the process of conflict resolution and peace building
Expert conference
Securing Iraq’s Future
Perspectives on Iraq’s Political, Economic, and Social Situation
The KAS Syria/Iraq Office supports the Rafidain Center for Dialogue (RCD) – a leading Iraqi think tank – in conducting its first annual conference, which will take place in Baghdad on February 4th and 5th. The conference is the first of its kind to be held in Baghdad, and will be attended by senior Iraqi, regional and international government officials and parliament members as well as scholars and researchers from major think tanks and universities in Iraq and abroad.
Workshop
Economic Relations between Syria and Lebanon
Analyzing an Intimate and Complex Bilateral Relationship
In cooperation with the Middle East Institute for Research and Strategic Studies, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is holding a one-day workshop that aims to conduct an assessment of how the recent developments in Syria have affected economic relations between the war-torn country and its Lebanese neighbor. The goal is to assess the economic interdependence between both countries and analyze the political economy of the Assad regime’s involvement in Lebanon up until 2005, and how it has evolved over the past eight years. The results of this workshop serve the purpose to evaluate how the new political and economic realities in Syria will affect these relations in the near future.
Workshop
Shiite Religious Actors and their Sociopolitical Roles in Iraq
Discovering the Relationship between State, Society and Clerical Entities in Iraq
Together with the Central European University, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung holds a workshop that aims to gain a better understanding of the relationship between religion and politics in Iraq, the role of religious authorities in social and political processes, and the internal relations between various religious entities within each sectarian community. The discussions will specifically focus on the relationship between the state, Islamism, militant groups and Shia clerics, as well as Shia religious institutions and their social roles.
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Event Reports
Multimedia Training for Syrian Journalists
Media consumption habits are evolving as interest in Syria coverage is declining. As the war transitions into a new phase, there is a heightened need for continued, in-depth coverage. It is imperative to support reporting on Syria within this period to ensure that armed actors are unable to act with impunity inside the country and to ensure that the war is well documented through a variety of formats. It is within this vein that the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and Syria Direct partnered up for an advanced multimedia training for Syrian journalists, which equipped them with advanced skills in podcasting in order to integrate advanced multimedia reporting techniques into their reporting. Additionally, it enabled them to access new networks of followers and in turn contribute to greater awareness of this new phase of the Syrian conflict.
Event Reports
Empowering Youth from the Refugee and Host Communities in Good Governance and Human Rights
Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled to Syria’s neighbor country Lebanon. To counteract growing tensions between the Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugee communities, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in cooperation with Advanced Democracy for Sustainable Peace (AD 4 Peace) designed a series of workshops, aimed at building social cohesion between Lebanese and Syrian Youth by promoting democracy, human rights, and active citizenship while adopting a peer to peer and volunteerism approach.
Event Reports
Iraq and the Balance of Power in the Middle East
Dialogue Forum on Geopolitics in the Middle East
From 21 to 22 November 2019, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) held a conference in Cadenabbia, Italy, during which current issues related to Iraq’s highly sensitive geopolitical environment as well as different international and local stakeholders involved were discussed.
Event Reports
MERI Forum 2019
Ending Wars – Winning Peace In The Middle East
The MERI Forum 2019, which was made possible by the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and the Middle East Research Institute, aimed to provide a forum for dialogue and networking for policy and decision-makers, academics, opinion-leaders, civil society leaders and journalists to provide creative and constructive answers to a range of policy issues. A diverse range of social, economic, security and political issues were on the agenda of the MERI Forum 2019. Centring on the key themes of stability, democracy, and governance, the conference also aimed to highlight areas for further improvement that could contribute to greater understanding of the current crisis and challenges facing Iraq and the broader region in this autumn of 2019.
Event Reports
Syrian Academy for Non-Violent Change in Syria
After eight years of war in Syria, political empowerment projects are desperately needed in order to provide the foundation for a long-term democratic transition process. Contributing to this need for non-violent political and civilian engagement, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in cooperation with Hamzet Wasel established the Syrian Academy for Non-Violent Change, providing knowledge, tools and skills to young Syrians in order to increase the number of youth who are able to engage effectively in politics and be at the forefront of democratic change in Syria.
Event Reports
Open Debates 7 – Women Quota in Iraq
By securing a fixed number of seats for women in both parliaments (the Kurdistan Parliament in Erbil and the Council of Representatives in Baghdad), the woman quota is the only system that guarantees woman political participation in Iraq. Nevertheless, there is no quota for women in executive power and other state institutions. In cooperation with Open Think Tank, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation hosted this two-day conference to shed light on the current discussion between experts and stakeholders familiar with the effects of the woman quota on the political system and society in Iraq.
Event Reports
Burj Babel - Challenges to the Return of IDPs and Refugees to Liberated Areas
Following the aftermath of the 2003 invasion, years of sectarian violence as well as the subsequent resurgence of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), Iraq still faces grave obstacles for the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from all over the country to liberated areas of the state. In Iraq’s post-conflict context, there are about 1.8 million IDPs, which remains a huge issue to be tackled by the Iraqi government. Therefore, the Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, in cooperation with Burj Babel conducted a study on factors preventing the return of displaced persons to liberated areas and presented their results in a one-day conference.
Event Reports
RCD Security and Economic Forum 2019: Iraq between Frontlines
Caught in between international influences while still fighting against the Islamic State, Baghdad wants to take a step forward towards more stability and economic revival.
Event Reports
Global Policies on Countering Extremism: Lessons Learned from Syria and Iraq
The persistent threat of terror attacks in the United States, Europe and other countries by ideologically driven movements has triggered major responses from the international community to fight extremism and terrorism. However, the global community is far from having eradicated radical terrorist organizations. The Syria/Iraq Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, in cooperation with Maison du Futur and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies hosted a conference with the aim of drawing lessons learned from the fight against terrorism and radicalization.
Event Reports
Iraq Leadership Fellows Program: Class of 2018/2019 concludes its training
In cooperation with the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at the American University of Iraq – Sulaimani (AUIS), and GPD Charitable Trust, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Syria/Iraq Office held the third and final training for the 2018/2019 Class of the Iraq Leadership Fellows (ILF) Program.
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