
Peaceful coexistence and management of diversity in Iraq is the theme of the sixth workshop of the Young Leaders Program organized by the Tammuz Organization for Social Development and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation under the theme “Together We Build Peace” at Ramada Hotel in Sulaymaniyah on February 16-17, 2018.
The workshop was attended by 35 young people from all governorates of Iraq. This workshop came after seven months of the fifth workshop was held, to resume the completion of the remaining workshops of the program in 2018. The workshop was opened with a welcoming and informative speech from our colleague the head of Tammuz organization explaining the objectives and program of the workshop.
The instructor began his training program, which dealt with rich and enjoyable subjects in terms of its content and quantity. The diversity and its national and international legal frameworks and rights related to diversity, such as the right to exist, the right to identity, the right to political participation and the right to non-discrimination, were defined, Indicating the legal frameworks that promote the management of diversity with a detailed explanation of the management of diversity in Iraq in general and in Kurdistan in particular.
It has followed an interesting educational method in presenting information, using documentaries and video clips with a brief definition of all the religions and sects in Iraq, and their imprints in the formation of civilization and heritage that we touch in our daily lives as Iraqis, whether through vocabulary, rituals, food, prompting all participants to present experiences, observations and personal information about those components and cultures of discrimination cases.
We have also provided information on the practices and impact of the political regimes in Iraq, which have lost much of our cultural heritage and wasted our great diverse human resources which today, is not given enough attention to preserve and develop them in a manner that achieves rational management of diversity. Peaceful coexistence cannot be achieved without recognition of diversity.
One of the young civic leaders, representing one of the Iraqi components, was invited to talk about the importance of elections in promoting political participation, component rights and managing diversity in Iraq.
The youth interacted with the workshop and contributed to the discussion and the presentation of ideas through the mini workshops that brought them together. They identified the titles and teams that will continue to work in order to contribute to the promotion of diversity management. They were divided into the political participation team, the curriculum reform team and the promotion of citizenship.
The youth initiatives team for community awareness and education, the working group with the clergy and the economic team. Each team presented its initial ideas as a step towards its maturity and contribution to its subsequent achievement. The workshop was distinguished by its failure to follow traditional training methods.
It is the sixth workshop of the young leaders program for 2018-2017. The program involves 40 young people from all Iraqi governorates and aims to invest in youth capacity-building and awareness rising in light of changes in the region, as well as to strengthen networking and communication among young participants from different governorates in preparation for engaging in politics and civil society. Especially after the success of the program in its first session for 2015-2016, which comes out of a group of young activists from all over Iraq now have a more effective civic presence.
Media office of
Tammuz Organization For Social development
19 February 2018