Tens of thousands of persons belonging to Iraq’s ethnic and religious minorities have been murdered, maimed or abducted, including unknown numbers of women and girls forced into marriage or sexual enslavement, after the fall of Mosul in June 2014. The military operation to retake the city and remaining occupied areas in Ninewa governorate from ISIS is now in its sixth month. However, several important questions still remain. Post-ISIS planning in many respects has been subordinated to the need to keep anti-ISIS factions together, and there still appears to be no serious Iraqi or international effort to build the political, social and economic conditions for the sustainable return of those who lost homes and livelihoods as a result of the conflict.  

Against this backdrop, the purpose of this conference is to advocate for thoughtful and realistic planning for the post-ISIS era. Building on the Paris Action Plan of September 2015, this conference will follow up on and further identify concrete Iraqi, European and international measures that can encourage sustainable returns and action to help build the basis for peace in Ninewa.

The conference will be structured into three panels: 1) Supporting affected populations and facilitating durable solutions for those affected, including humanitarian, reconstruction, and post-conflict stabilization efforts; 2) Fighting impunity and ensuring justice; and 3) Preserving the diversity and plurality of Ninewa and the surrounding region. Speakers will include Iraqi parliamentarians and civil society activists, MEPs, EU institutions and EU member states representatives.

Registrations are now closed. For further information, please contact Aykut Garipoglu at [email protected].

For the programme of the connference, click here.