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Training to Increase the Participation of IDPs and Ethnic Minorities in the Election Process in Iraq

Konrad Adenauer Foundation Syria/Iraq Office and JSSOR Youth Organization familiarize minority’s participants and nominated parliaments representative with the main hands on training of electoral process, focusing on strategies to integrate issues related to minorities and IDPs in at the next election, practices guaranteeing participation of minorities in the political life and especially in elections on an equal ground with others, also in connection with the international human rights instruments, and increased political empowerment and enjoyment of rights by minorities, particularly young and marginalized communities and those at risk, in Iraq.

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Minorities in Iraq face significant obstacles to their full participation in social and political life, including entrenched socio-cultural barriers, legal discrimination and economic marginalization.

Political participation at the elections in which Iraq’s minorities also experience exclusion and marginalization. Powerful political blocs exert pressure on minorities to support their programmes and there is a lack of organized political parties through which minorities can have a voice in politics.

Iraq’s electoral law presently reserves nine seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives for minority candidates, and the seats are allocated to specific governorates and only voters’ resident in the governorate in question can vote for them, yet minority communities are dispersed across many different areas.

The parliamentary representation of minorities is essential for ensuring these groups’ effective participation in public affairs. Whether minorities are actually present in legislatures, whether their voices are heard, and whether their interests are considered are all important indicators of minority participation in decision making on a national level. Such participation has the potential to benefit everyone in a society. It can help to strengthen democracy, greatly improve the quality of political life, facilitate societal integration and prevent conflict.

Inclusive and representative democracies provide for the full and active participation of all of their citizens irrespective of race, gender, religion or ethnic identity. The rights of ethnic and religious minorities in particular need to be guaranteed by the majority, as they are groups most often under threat in transitional and emerging democracies. JSSOR continues its supports of the effort to include ethnic and religious minority participation in the political process by proposing electoral systems conducive to diverse representation in elected bodies; by promoting tolerance and awareness through education on the equal rights of ethnic and religious minorities; through targeted advice on messaging, content and methodology to providers of voter and civic education programs; by offering training and professional development modules on minority rights to stakeholders in the electoral process; and through the provision of technical assistance and encouragement for minority participation in the drafting of election legislation and the sharing of comparative experiences.

Four seminars and four three-day workshops were organized, one for each governorate. The activity took place in Baghdad (covering Baghdad and Kirkuk) and Erbil (covering Erbil and Ninawa) for logistic feasibility and due to COVID-19 precautions. Although seminars and workshops followed the same agenda structure throughout the project for all governorates, the approach was designed according to each area's election history and minority needs. Trainers developed tailored materials for the workshops, focusing on the importance of participating in the electoral process and the ways to do so.

Participants from minority groups from each of Baghdad and Kirkuk included representatives of minority groups and minority political parties alongside youth groups and state officials. Attendees also included representatives of Christian-Assyrians and Christian-Chaldeans, Turkmen, Kurdi-Feyli groups that are considered ethnic and religious minorities in these governorates. In addition to that, official representation from minority political parties and youth groups included attendees from: The Turkman Front, the Turkman Student Association, the Chaldean Movement, the Chaldean Student Association, Shabak Democratic Gathering and the Kurd Feyli Foundation. Other attendees who were invited included state officials (such as those from the Ministry of Culture, and the General Secretariat of the Council of Representatives), cultural groups and organizations such as Yezidi Spiritual Council Mandaen cultural Centre, the Armenian church, the Zardashti community, Iraqi Women Association, SAWA, and TORD. While participants from Erbil and Ninawa included Christian, Assyrian, Yezidi, Turkmen, Kurdish-Zarathustrian and Kurdish-Shabaki groups. This activity gathered 24 minority group members residing (12 from Erbil and 12 from Ninawa) alongside representatives from: OHCHR, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the office of the Minister of Minorities in the Kurdistan region as well as members of the UNSCR 2250 coalition.

Media presence during the workshops included the Iraqi Media Network, Al-Sabah, Al Shurook, Kurdistan Channel. The seminars were covered by the Iraqi Satellite Television channel, Nineveh TV, Minority Eyes TV, and Social media coverage was through JSSOR’s website and Facebook page. Following the launch of activities on the 16th of March, the project's press release was published through several websites such as Al Ahram International News, Al Nahar News Agency, and Barg News Agency International.

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persoane de contact

Maha Haddad

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Projektkoordinatorin und –controllerin

Maha.haddad@kas.de 961 1 388 061/62 +961 1 388 064

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