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The Peace Research and Education Program at the Center for Global Affairs Community Dialogues for Social Cohesion: Reflective Analysis of Lessons Learned from IDPs and Host Communities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq PREP Occasional Paper Series No. 1 PREP Occasional Paper Zeravan Sulaiman Sadeeq & Audrey Watne February 2019 Zeravan Sulaiman Sadeeq is a Researcher and Trainer at the Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies at University of Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. [email protected] Audrey Watne is a researcher for the Peace Research and Education Program at the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs. [email protected] Peace Research and Education Program Occasional Paper Series ISSN 2643-0320 (print) ISSN 2643-0347 (online) Published 4-6 times annually By the Peace Research and Education Program Center for Global Affairs, School of Professional Studies New York University 15 Barclay Street, NY, NY 10007 [email protected] Editor: Christopher Ankersen Available online at https://www.nyupeace.education/publications This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Letter from PREP’s Director I am extremely pleased to share with you the first installment of PREP’s Occasional Paper Series, Community Dialogues for Social Cohesion: Reflective Analysis of Lessons Learned from IDPs and Host Communities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. PREP -- the Peace Research and Education Program -- aims to enhance the peacebuilding role that universities play worldwide. One way I believe we can accomplish this goal is by widely sharing the experiences and learning of our team members as they work closely with university partners in areas that have been significantly affected by violence. The authors of this paper -- Audrey Watne, of PREP, and Zeravan Sulaiman Sadeeq, of the University of Duhok’s Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies -- have illustrated how it is possible for a university to use its convening power to bring together stakeholders to discuss and address some of the most vexing issues facing communities affected by violence and mass displacement. Furthermore, they show how a university can help to move stakeholders’ away from an overemphasis on problem-based thinking toward a renewed focus on assets and successes through the use of Appreciative Inquiry methods. My hope is that this series will become a space for consideration of many other ways in which higher education institutions can help to enhance peacefulness in the communities and regions that they serve. We will do our best to ensure the research we present is accessible, timely and reflective of the equitable partnerships that PREP strives to build with our affiliated institutions. Of course, I realize that we may not always reach our objectives. As this paper is just the first of what we at PREP hope will be many, please feel free to share with us your (hopefully, constructive) criticism and feedback so that we can consider it in our own learning process as we move forward. Sincerely, Director Peace Research and Education Program TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 2 1. Introduction 3 2. Background on locations 6 3. Methodology and Scope 8 4. Implementation and Challenges 9 5. Findings 10 6. Recommendations from Participants 11 7. Reflections and Conclusion 12 Appendix I: Implementation Data 14 References 18 Abstract Iraq’s Duhok governorate assumed perhaps the heaviest burden as a consequence of the internal displacement crisis that began following the rise of Da’esh across a broad swath of northern Iraq in 2014. The mass influx of people to Duhok -- mainly from Ninewa province, directly to the south -- caused significant tensions between the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their hosts. In 2016-2017, the Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies (CPCRS) at the University of Duhok coordinated four roundtable dialogue meetings with local authorities, clergy, civil communities leaders, local stakeholders, and representatives of IDPs and Host communities1. These meetings aimed to deepen positive collaboration between key actors, using the tools and techniques of appreciative inquiry, and to assess the levels of social cohesion between host and displaced communities. Surveys and focus groups aimed at understanding perceptions of tensions and challenges among the host community, IDPs, and mixed groups preceded these meetings. In general, roundtable participants acknowledged that host communities welcomed displaced populations, but that over time, tensions emerged in all locations. Rather than focusing solely on those tensions, roundtable participants offered constructive suggestions for addressing and mitigating tensions, generating a list of recommended actions ranging from the construction of additional schools and health centers to the establishment of committees that could monitor host and displaced populations for signs of growing tensions to educational and media programming that would encourage social cohesion. This paper explores both the outcomes of the roundtable process and the methodology for such community engagement offering a reflection on lessons learned and recommendations for future participatory social cohesion research programs. Key Words: IDPs, displacement, host community, social cohesion, peacebuilding, community engagement, appreciative inquiry 1This research was conducted with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as part of the project “Improving Local Capacity to Build Peace and Improve Social Cohesion among Host and Displaced Communities in Duhok and Ninevah Governorates.” All research findings are the work of the Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies at the University of Duhok and the Peace Research and Education Program, located within the Center for Global Affairs at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. None of the findings contained in this report necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNDP. 1. Introduction Since 2014, when Da’esh seized the city of Mosul2 and committed genocide against Yezidi communities,3 until 2017, when Iraqi government forces regained control of Mosul and surrounding areas, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) hosted more than 350,000 IDPs, mostly from Ninewa Province.4 These IDPs moved to camps and urban areas and lived beside and among host communities. Initially, the host community welcomed IDPs and provided immediate assistance; however, over time tensions developed between the newly arrived IDPs and the host community, particularly as humanitarian aid arrived in order to support IDPs, while the host community also faced an economic crisis, but without humanitarian support. In October 2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that no conflict assessments had been conducted in the KRI, indicating an information gap regarding to what degrees the host community and IDPs were in conflict or were cooperating.5 In response to these observed tensions, the Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (CPCRS) at the University of Duhok (UoD) began to conduct community-based research to better understand the observed challenges to social cohesion between IDP and host communities in and around Duhok. This research used appreciative inquiry techniques to investigate the approaches to these tensions that were being used by community members. CPCRS brought its findings to local stakeholders and leaders in roundtable meetings to discuss the tensions, generate community dialogue, and collect recommendations to share with local decision- and policy-makers. This process aimed to assess the levels of social cohesion and between the displaced and host communities, to deepen the positive collaboration between key actors, and to generate concrete information and recommendations that community leaders and representatives of international organizations could use when developing policies or activities related to displacement in the communities studied. CPCRS was well equipped to carry out this research because of its position as a unit of a well-known regional institution of higher education and because of relationships developed through a large-scale peace education project for youth in the Duhok and Ninewa governorates from 2014 until 2017. CPCRS conducted 201 workshops for 4068 participants in schools, community centers, and IDP and refugee camps6. As a result of that project, the Center developed a higher public profile. Also, the cross- cultural and training experience of the cohort of trainers grew as they visited schools, community centers, IDP and refugee camps to conduct the training. Additionally, CPCRS 2BBC. “Militants seize Iraq’s second city of Mosul.” 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27778112 3 Human Rights Council. “‘They came to destroy:’ ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis.’ A/HRC/32/CRP.2. 2016. http:// www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A_HRC_32_CRP.2_en.pdf 4 IOM Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix, 2018. http://iraqdtm.iom.int/. 5IOM Iraq. Integrated Location Assessment II: Part II Governorate Profiles. DTM-Iraq Mission, 2017. p. 39 6 New York University, “NEA/I Final Report: Supporting the University of Duhok in Becoming the Center of Excellence for Peacebuilding in Iraq.” Internal Report. 2017. conducted an international conference on peacebuilding and education in May 2014 which raised its profile locally and internationally as a respected academic center.7 This paper aims to describe the process of community-based
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