“ Strengthening Youth Political Engagement in Iraq: Capacity Building Workshops”

In coordination with the Committee for Dialogue and Societal Peace (CDSP) in the Prime Minister’s Office, UNAMI organized ten thematic participatory workshops between August and December 2021 to build the capacities of 50 young women and men from across Iraq on political participation.   A total of 44 participants, 21 of them women, attended the closing session on 11 December in Baghdad. Dr. Hosham Dawood, Prime Minister’s Advisor and Head of the Committee for Dialogue and Societal Peace, and the Director of Planning in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Sattar Mujbil, attended and addressed the session.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Mohammed Al-Najjar, Director of the UNAMI Office of Political Affairs, affirmed the important role of Iraqi youth as catalysts for change and emphasized that “UNAMI will continue to support the Iraqi people for real reform and sustainable development”. He further commended the participants and encouraged them to take advantage of their enormous potential as a source of creativity and to make an impact throughout their ideas and solutions.

Following the opening remarks, participants presented the key recommendations covering four main themes:

• Youth perspectives on reforms and the way forward;
• Effective political role of the youth in decision-making and policy formulation;
• Role of youth in policy-making;
• Youth, peace and security agenda in Iraq:  challenges and opportunities and next steps.

During the previous nine workshops  (August – December 2021), participants discussed the general principles of democratic systems, including the role of free and fair elections in strengthening the democratic system, as well as policy-making, Iraq's role in foreign policy; and how to overcome the obstacles to active political participation and leadership. During these sessions, they expressed their concerns and hopes about the future and the role they can play in developing the stability and prosperity of Iraq.

Photos:  UNAMI PIO/Ivan Djordjevic