Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in

Narrative progress update (July – September 2017)

Introduction

Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq is a programme developed by PAX, Impunity Watch, Iraqi Al Amal Association and its partners. It aims to contribute to structural change of gender norms, laws and institutions in Iraq, promoting equal rights, capacities and opportunities for men and women. This will enable them to fully participate in transformative peace building and social reconstruction. It specifically challenges the idea that Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is a private issue by linking it clearly to conflict patterns and histories that are markedly political, leading to integrating gender-sensitive and active women’s participation in security sector reform (SSR), justice and reconciliation processes in “after ISIS” Iraq.

Overall Programme Objective The overall objective for this programme is:

To contribute to a structural change of gender norms, laws, and institutions in Iraq, giving women and men equal rights, capacities, and opportunities. Enabling them to participate fully in transformative peacebuilding and social reconstruction with a particular focus on SGBV issues and countering impunity thereof.

Specific Programme Objectives 1. Increased understanding and awareness of root causes and patterns of SGBV and impunity thereof and increased capacity to develop, implement and evaluate effective transformative strategies to carry out applied research on SGBV. 2. Targeted Iraqi police and judiciary become more responsive to SGBV cases as a result of increased cooperation, voice and participation of women. 3. Increased influence and engagement of women organizations and networks in discussions on security and SSR on local, national and international level.

This third quarterly report describes progress of the programme from July until September 2017. Main activities implemented in this period are the first research training for Iraqi academics, the first PME-training for Iraqi programme staff, the first dialogue sessions with police in , and the continuation of women group meetings in Baghdad, Basra, and Salah ad-Din. This summer saw conflict dynamics in Iraq moving from the fight against ISIS towards internal issues. The consequences of the Kurdish Independence Referendum are expected to affect project implementation in the coming months, in particular in governorate. This report will first provide an update on context, and then provide an update on programme progress and planning.

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 2 1. Context and Conflict Analysis

1.1 Context and conflict analysis - update

Key contextual developments of this quarter include the retake by Iraqi Security Forces of most of the remaining ISIS-controlled territories, the passing of the UN Security Council Resolution 2379 on accountability for crimes committed by ISIS, and the Kurdish Independence Referendum that was held on September 25th. Over the past three months, the Government of Iraq (GoI) has regained control of ISIS-held areas in West-, Talafar, and Ana, and is close to recovering the district of (in ). Meanwhile, this reporting period witnessed shifting conflict dynamics in which internal issues and unresolved political issues are resurfacing, as marked by the heightened political and military tensions between the GoI and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) following the Kurdish referendum.

The retake of Mosul, seen as a major victory in the fight against ISIS, was utilised by the Iraqi Women Network, an umbrella organisation for women organisations in Iraq in which Al-Amal has a leading role, to hold a national conference on the Iraqi National Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR-1325. At the conference, attended by over 170 participants from civil society organisations, women groups presented their ideas and vision for building stability, and advocated for a meaningful role for women in negotiations, building peace and justice, and promoting a culture of nonviolence. Its joint statement emphasised the need to strengthen trust among people, to act on the basis of citizenship instead of religion and ethnicity, and to address policies that have led to the rise of terrorist groups.1

As the territorial victory on ISIS has become imminent, the GoI as well as international actors are focusing their attention on reconstruction and stabilisation efforts. PAX, Impunity Watch and Al- Amal (IAA) are advocating for inclusive and gender sensitive approaches in stabilisation efforts and stress the need for inclusive transitional justice. In this regard, partners see UN Security Council Resolution 2379, unanimously adopted on September 21st, as a missed opportunity. The resolution, instigating an international investigation on crimes committed by ISIS, narrowly focuses on one party of the conflict, while neglecting crimes and abuses by other perpetrators.

1 For the full statement, see “Iraqi Women’s Determination to Play a Real Role in the Process of Political Reform”, http://www.socialwatch.org/node/17814

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 3 Iraqi partners in the programme have started to explore ways of engaging in advocacy to influence the implementation of the resolution.

Despite efforts anticipating the “post-ISIS phase in Iraq”, ISIS has over the past months continued to show its capacity to threaten security in various parts of Iraq, including areas of project implementation. ISIS-activity remains an important security concern in Salah ad-Din, where the group makes frequent use of explosive devices in vehicles and still is the dominant Organised Armed Group (OAG). Moreover, the ongoing military campaigns in Hawija district and surrounding areas have caused new displacements, including displacement from Shirqat district in Salah al- Din. Displaced women from Shirqat and Hawija districts have participated in the women group meetings of this programme. Baghdad also experienced several ISIS-initiated attacks that caused civilians casualties.

Incidents over the last months affirm, however, that security challenges in Iraq remain manifold and that they differ across Iraq’s governorates and districts. This reporting period saw a rise of incidents in Baghdad of various kinds, conceivably due to the religious holidays of Eid al-Adha and Muharram. In Basra, particularly in its northern parts, disputes and clashes between tribes continue to be a threat to security, with Basra city experiencing a high number of incidents. Project partner Iraqi Al-Firdaws Association reported that security concerns provided a challenge to their work in this quarter.

In addition to local conflict dynamics, political discord on questions related to the Iraqi federal state have shown their relevance in the anticipated post-ISIS phase. Despite widespread international opposition, the KRG went through with the Kurdish Independence Referendum, which was held not only in the Kurdish autonomous region but also in disputed territories, including Kirkuk. The referendum, leading to a yes-vote for Kurdish independence, immediately led to a fierce response both form the GoI as well as from neighbouring countries Turkey and Iran. Iraq has suspended international flights to Kurdistan’s two international airports, and has threatened to close land crossings that link Kurdistan to the rest of Iraq. Turkey and Iran are conducting military manoeuvres on Iraq’s borders. It is expected that tensions caused by the referendum will continue to rise over the coming months, with potential consequences for project implementation. In Kirkuk, at the moment, all activities are on hold. As elaborated on in section 2.4, strategic choices on activities with local police will be taken based upon how the situation will develop. Project staff is monitoring the situation and, when deciding on activities that involve police, will consider how and to what extent the current political instability affects local police institutions in Kirkuk.

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 4 2. Programme Progress

2.1 Progress on interventions Highlights of this quarter were the trainings for Iraqi project staff (on participatory PME- methodologies) and Iraqi academics (on gender sensitive research methodologies), which both are important building blocks for subsequent efforts under this programme’s first specific objective. In addition, project managers in Basra, Baghdad, and Salah ad-Din have continued the organisation of women group meetings and, in the case of Basra, dialogue sessions with police. Finally, IAA has had meetings with relevant Iraqi government institutions, including the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the Iraqi Ministry of Defence, to gauge support for enhancing gender- sensitivity of the code of conduct, amongst others, and the training curriculum for police. Below a short update on the progress of implementation from July until September 2017 outlined per specific objective.

1. Progress on Specific Objective One Increased understanding and awareness of root causes and patterns of SGBV and impunity thereof and increased capacity to develop, implement and evaluate effective transformative strategies to carry out applied research on SGBV.

Main progress made under specific objective one are the implementation of the first trainings on gender sensitive and participatory research methodologies (A1.5) and on participatory planning, monitoring, and evaluation (A1.8). In addition, Human Security Survey staff have progressed in revising its questionnaire and methodologies for the survey in Salah ad-Din (A1.1), PAX is finalising the process of selecting a consultant for the gender-sensitive conflict analysis toolkit (A1.2), Impunity Watch has selected a trainer for the training on mapping root causes of (S)GBV (A1.3), and has started to make arrangements for the trip to Tunisia (A1.4), which is scheduled for November this year. Below, first a short report on the trainings that have taken place in this reporting period, and then a short overview of progress made with respect to the other activities.

Activity 1.5 and 1.8 The first training on gender-sensitive participatory research methodologies (GPRM) (A1.5) and the first training on gender-sensitive participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) (A1.8) took place in in August (9-12 and 14-16 August, respectively). Over the months of June and July, Utrecht University and PAX cooperated to prepare the programme and outline of the trainings. The GPRM-training was given by prof. Georg Frerks and Dr. Mario Fumerton, both specialists from the Centre for Conflict Studies at Utrecht University (UU), and the PME-training was given jointly by UU, PAX, and IAA.

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 5 Activity 1.5: Training on Inclusive Participatory Research Methodologies A diverse group of scholars from different universities in Iraq, including the University of Baghdad, the University of Mosul, the University of , and the University of Dohuk. participated in the GPRM-training. The training is the first one in a set of two or three trainings (contingent on needs and budget) that aim to produce research that helps to increase the claim-making capacity of Iraqi civil society for advocacy on gender-mainstreaming in security sector reform (SSR) and addressing root causes of SGBV. It was decided that this training would provide a general foundational introduction to the basics of qualitative social research methodology, and that the other training(s) will be tailored towards the wishes of participants and civil society’s practical needs. As such, this first training addressed different aspects of the qualitative research process, including the relationship between theory and empirics, the formulation of a research problem and research questions, the selection and usage of methods, issues regarding data selection, collection and analysis, and reporting.

The workshop was evaluated on a daily basis and adjusted as needed. The original programme resulted to be too ambitious, but a good start has been made. The full evaluation, as well as evaluation forms filled out by participants, can be sent upon request.

As next steps for this training the researchers have been tasked with submitting a research proposal for research pilots, or case studies, in which they use participatory research methodologies, and for which they thus cooperate with the local partners of this programme in Basra, Kirkuk, Salah ad-Din and Baghdad governorates. The research pilots will address themes that directly link to relevant current policy debates and priorities of women’s organisations in the field of gender equality, security, (S)GBV and SSR (incl. specific focus on masculinities). The research proposals will be submitted to IAA in October and reviewed by the UU. The next training is expected to take place early 2018.

Activity 1.8: Gender-sensitive Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation Methodology The PME-trainings in this project respond to the need expressed after the first NAP 1325- programme2 in Iraq to better evaluate impact of work done on gender norms and (S)GBV. The trainings aim to enhance the skills of project staff in monitoring and evaluating the impact of their activities through participatory methodologies. The training given in August was the first of two trainings, and was attended by key IAA and Al-Firdaws project staff working in the four areas of implementation (project managers and project assistants from Basra, Kirkuk, and Salah ad-Din, as well as IAA overall project coordinator and gender and PME-advisors).

2 “Women and Youth Against Violence”, 2016 – 2013, financed by the Netherlands MoFA under the second Dutch National Action Plan 1325 - MENA

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 6 The training module on gender-sensitive and participatory M&E methodologies, developed over the course of the summer, gives special attention to methodologies that involve diverse gender and social groups in drawing up, implementing, monitoring and evaluating interventions, and addresses different aspects of the planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning cycle such as Theory of Change development, collecting and analysing baseline and monitoring data, and managing external and internal evaluations. The first training focused on gender as a concept, evaluation types, concepts and methods, contracting evaluators, institutional requirements, ToCs, and participatory and gender-sensitive monitoring.

As was done for the GPRM-training, the PME-training was evaluated on a daily basis. Also, as was the case with the GPRM-training, the original programme was found too ambitious and was therefore slightly adjusted. More time was taken to discuss the Theory of Change and the specific objectives of the programme. The full evaluation, as well as evaluation forms filled out by participants, can be shared upon request.

Following the training, Al-Amal and Al-Firdaws staff were tasked to apply the lessons learnt in their quarterly reports and in the update of the baseline, which will be improved and updated jointly by the IAA PME-advisor and project staff. For the next training programme, participants have expressed that they would like to know more about concrete indicators and how to measure behavioural change. It was also agreed that a concise booklet with PME guidelines would be developed for the Iraqi partners.

Activity 1.1 – 1.4 A short update on progress made with other activities under SO1: • 1.1 (HSS, SGBV Mapping) The training and subsequent data collection for Salah ad-Din governorate is planned to take place in quarter 4 of 2017 (26-28 October). Project staff is working on data analysis of the survey outcomes from Kirkuk and Basra. • 1.2 (PAX, Gender Sensitive Conflict Analysis Toolkit) PAX has put out a ToR for an expert to develop the toolkit. Since PAX emphasizes the need for gender sensitive conflict and context analysis as a precondition for and an essential element of gender sensitive programming, it has been decided that the toolkit should be developed to serve PAX colleagues and partners in programme analysis and development more broadly. The toolkit will therefore also be tested in South Sudan, within the framework of the NAP 1325 programme ‘Women and Girls for Change’ (with PLAN as lead and PAX as Alliance member). PAX is currently reviewing the proposals received in response to its ToR, and is planning to contract an expert before the end of December. • 1.3 (IW, mapping root causes) The month of February 2018 has been picked for the training on the mapping of patterns and root causes of SGBV. Given developments in Iraq and the closure of the Erbil airport to international flights, the training will most

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 7 probably be organised in Beirut, Lebanon. Tunis and Istanbul are also possibilities. Mapping expert Luc Coté has agreed to train the team from Iraq. • 1.4 (IW, story-telling) The exchange session to Tunisia will take place in November 2017, and will be covered in the next quarterly report. Q3 was dedicated to prepare for the trip including arranging meetings with Tunisian officials and CSOs, planning participation of the group in a public hearing by Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission, and logistics (visas, travel, accommodation, hotel, local transportation, etc.).

Activity 1.6 and 1.7 are scheduled for 2018.

2. Progress on Specific Objective Two Targeted Iraqi police and judiciary become more responsive to SGBV cases as a result of increased cooperation, voice and participation of women.

The IAA local project managers and assistants have continued to progress with implementing women group meetings and, in the case of Basra, dialogue sessions with the police (A2.2). The four project managers in the different governorates each carry out these activities in their own ways, which has raised some questions with PAX about the strategic direction (see also narrative report of Q2). At the same time, PAX realises that the project managers understand their local contexts best, and are thus best positioned to determine final project strategies. A key challenge in this programme, therefore, which is expected to remain in the coming months, is to find the right balance between guiding and supporting project staff to enhance their strategic focus, while respecting their expertise and empowering them to respond to their local context as they deem fit (see lessons learnt). Below a short report on the women group meetings and dialogue sessions that have taken place, followed by a short description of progress made with Activity 2.3.

Activity 2.2 In Salah ad-Din, six women group meetings were held in different IDP camps:

• July 19th, Golden villas Camp (A.K.A Fatima Alzahraa camp) • August 11th, Alalam District • August 12th, Sibat Hill / Alalam Camp 2 • August 27th, Karama Camp in Tikrit • September 21st, information missing • September 27th, Dream City Complex Salah ad-Din hosts IDPs from various regions in Iraq, and the women group meetings were attended by, amongst others, women from Hawija, East-Mosul, Beji, and Zummar. Among the IDPs from Hawija were women that had fled the town as a result of the ongoing military campaign

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 8 against ISIS. Meetings were attended by an average of 25 women per meeting, with changing compositions. Challenges related to return were a recurrent theme in the meetings, affirming that return remains highly complex in post-ISIS Iraq, and one of the major challenges in stabilisation efforts. The IAA project staff in Salah ad-Din is trying to advocate for better security provisions in the camps, and is in regular contact with camp management on key protection concerns for women. Presently, the camps lack clear security structures, and different forms of SGBV, including harassment, physical and sexual violence, are widespread. In addition to SGBV, a lack of legal documents is a key protection concern for women in these camps.

In Basra, 15 women group meetings were organised with IDP women and men:

• 2 sessions in Shat Alarab • 1 session in IDP Camp 5 Mile district • 10 sessions in Al-Zubair District • 1 session in Al-Mishraq Al-Jadeed (both men and women) • 1 session in Abi Alkhusaib District (both men and women) Women group meetings in Basra have mainly targeted IDP women, and were held for groups of 25 – 30 persons, on average. With the exception of the sessions in the Abi Alkhusaib and Al- Zubair districts, Al-Firdaws (AF) focused the sessions on three main questions: 1- How do you participate in peace building?; 2- Do you have future plans to work on peace?; 3- How do we empower the security in our city? The discussions and findings of these meetings help AF in their programme work, and in lobby and advocacy efforts. Among their findings are: 1) legal and social protection for women is a prerequisite for their involvement in peace-building; 2) participation in peace-building depends on enhancing access for women to key positions in the state; and 3) sectarianism in government positions should be reduced, and reliance on experience should be increased.

Eight of the ten sessions in the Al-Zubair district dealt with UN resolution 1325 and on violations faced by women. AF found that it was challenging to address issues of SGBV, and observed that women were hesitant to talk about certain topics because of traditions and social conditions. AF noted that the meetings provided insufficient time to meaningfully address and discuss cases of SGBV, and that subsequent meetings and visits are required. This question, of duration and size of the women group meetings, will be taken up during the annual coordination meeting in October.

In addition to the women group meetings, 2 dialogue sessions with police were organised in Basra, each attended by approximately 40 police officers. The sessions spoke about resolution 1325, the UN, international law, and protection against domestic violence. On the first topics, AF found that police officers had no knowledge on the UN or international law. On the last topic

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 9 (domestic violence), the discussion showed that there were different views on a law against domestic violence. Some supported such a law, while others doubted its effectiveness. Engendering a change in community views and tribal culture, they argued, is more important than legal changes. The discussion was also on the challenge of integrating IDP women into host- communities, as they are generally not accepted by society. On this topic, it was found most effective to raise awareness of tribes and invest in religious platforms and religious clerics.

In Baghdad, four women group meetings were held in two IDP-Camps:

• July 22nd, Daha Rawi Camp • July 27th, Daha Rawi Camp • August 19th, Takya Kaznazanya Camp • August 19th, Takya Kaznazanya Camp3 The camps also host IDPs from various areas. The meetings (20 participants, on average) were attended by women from Falujah, , Mosul, , Salah ad-Din and Qaem. Discussions focused on the various difficulties faced by the women in the camps, which lack effective camp administration and facilities.

In Kirkuk governorate no women group meetings have been organised in this quarter because of the tense political situation. Engagement with police was postponed until after the Referendum, as project staff first wished to see how the Referendum would play out. Programme staff expects to be able to continue women group meetings when the security situation has improved. If and when to start with dialogue sessions with local police, however, is not yet decided. The current political instability carries implications for police institutions, and project staff first wishes to see how the situation in Kirkuk will develop over the coming months, before deciding on their strategy on working with police institutions.

2.3 and 2.5 • 2.3 (HSS, Justice and Security Dialogue)4 The planned dialogues in Salah ad-Din governorate will follow after the Human Security Survey is completed and the data is analysed (late 2017 or early 2018). The project partner in is currently implementing a range of community engagement activities, and will host one event focused on gender security issues in Q4 2017. The corresponding event planned for Kirkuk governorate has been postponed indefinitely as a result of the current political and security context. The two thematic reports on patterns of SGBV for Basra and Kirkuk

3 A second group was held on the same day because of the high number of women that were interested in participated. 4 Activities in Basra and Kirkuk are part of PAX’s own contribution to this project (the Human Security Survey, funded by the Strategic Partnership). Gender specific events are funded by the NAP 1325-programme. For a more comprehensive report on HSS activities in Basra and Kirkuk, please refer to separate reports submitted by the HSS to the Dutch MoFA.

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 10 governorates will be produced during Q4 2017. The third report for Salah ad-Din will follow after the survey and analysis are completed, likely during Q1 2018. • 2.5 (Code of Conduct) Al-Amal is in contact with relevant departments within the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ministry of Defense (MoD) on the Code of Conduct for Iraqi police. There is a Code, but it is not gender sensitive. IAA has worked on recommendations for the CoC and is gauging support for a trajectory with the MoI or MoD and police on enhancing its gender sensitivity. PAX and IAA will jointly work out a strategy on this activity. Activity 2.1 and 2.4 are scheduled for 2018.

3. Progress on Specific Objective Three Increased influence and engagement of women organisations and networks in discussions on security and SSR on local, national and international level.

Activities under this objective will take place in 2018 and 2019 (see annual planning submitted on the first of November).

2.2 Modifications in programme planning

Modifications in programme planning that have occurred since the second quarter are reflected in the annual plan that was submitted on November 1st. Reported here are the changes in planning that are relevant for quarter four of this year, and modifications from the annual plan. The overall updated planning is attached as a separate document (Annex A) and an activity plan per month for the remaining quarter in the first year of the programme is available upon request.5

Specific objective 1  Activity 1.1 Mapping of Occurrences of (S)GBV in Basra, Kirkuk, Salah ad-Din The training on HSS process for Salah ad-Din enumerators will take place in quarter four (26-29 October), and data collection in the area will start directly after. Project staff from PAX are busy working on the analysis and reporting on survey findings from Kirkuk and Basra governorates on gender security dynamics.

 Activity 1.4 Pilot on truth-telling on (S)GBV in Kirkuk Governorate The first trip to Tunisia (1.4.1) is firmly planned for the last quarter of 2017. The second trip, to Morocco, is postponed to the first quarter of 2018.

5 Without further reaction from MoFA, we assume MoFA will agree with the adapted planning and – unless this is not the case – we will translate the modifications into the annual budget-breakdown which (in case of substantial deviations from the original approved budget) will be submitted to MoFA for approval.

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 11  Activity 1.5 Training module on inclusive participatory research methodologies for a network of Iraqi researchers and local staff Because reviewing the research proposals submitted by the academics took more time than anticipated, and because of conflicting agendas of the trainers and participants, the second training for academics has been postponed to January 2018.

 Activity 1.6 Participatory set up and implementation of 4 research pilots with Iraqi academics The implementation of the research pilots is postponed to 2018 because of the delay in the second research training.

Specific objective 2  Activity 2.3 HSS Security & Justice Dialogue sessions and meetings of women, police and governmental stakeholders, and judiciary on how to increase accountability for (S)GBV The planned dialogues in Salah ad-Din governorate will follow after the survey is completed and the data is analysed, starting in late 2017 and likely continuing into Q1 2018. The project partner in Basra governorate is currently implementing a range of community engagement activities, and will host one event focused on gender security issues in Q4 2017. The corresponding event planned for Kirkuk governorate has unfortunately been postponed indefinitely as a result of the current political and security context.

Specific Objective 3  Activity 3.1 SSR Roundtable sessions with national decision-makers on gender- sensitivity of SSR processes and approaches As was expected by the time of writing the annual plan, the debates with high-level parliamentarians in Baghdad are planned for the first and second half of 2018.

2.3 Modifications to Budget

The postponement of several activities, including the conflict analysis training for local partners (A1.2), the training on mapping SGBV (A1.3), and the trip to Morocco (A1.4), is expected to lead to underspending in 2017. The annual plan for 2018 and an updated and revised budget have been submitted to the Ministry on November 1st.

2.4 Overall indication of programme progress

The overall implementation of project activities continues to be slightly delayed, and it is expected that instability resulting from the Kurdish Independence Referendum might cause additional delays in this year’s final quarter and in 2018. Presently, the implementation of the

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 12 various research activities – including A1.1 (partly implemented but waiting for outcomes), A1.3 (postponed to 2018), and A1.6 (due to a delay in A1.5) – constitutes the main delay in the programme, which risks causing delays on other fronts (mainly on lobby and advocacy efforts) that are, at least for a part, contingent on research outcomes.

In addition, further delay and relocating of activities as a result of the current political and security context in Kirkuk is expected. Outputs 2.2.3 (dialogue sessions with police) and 2.3.2 (security and justice dialogue sessions) are put on hold, and strategic choices regarding these outputs will be taken based on how the situation develops. With respect to activity 2.1 (gender-sensitivity training for police), the strategy that is developed over the coming months will take into account the current complex situation in Kirkuk. For other activities (mainly activity 1.2 (the gender- sensitive conflict analysis toolkit) and activity 1.4 (pilot on truth-telling)), which were meant to be piloted in Kirkuk, project staff will consider possibilities of relocating them.

Finally, particularly with respect to SO2, there is a certain level of discrepancy between progress made with the implementation of activities, and progress made on the different outcomes and objectives that have been formulated for this project. This partly stems from the need to further develop and improve the current monitoring and evaluation framework. For another part, this stems from the need to further enhance strategies in programme implementation on the ground.

Lessons Learnt

 Developing the PME Framework

This programme, working with a Theory of Change, is designed to effectuate a change in behaviour, or a change in certain practices, of the actors that it targets. With several months of implementation, however, designing and implementing ways of measuring this type of impact has proven a challenge for project staff. PAX and partners have taken up this problem and will continue over the coming months to further develop and improve the PME framework, and staff capacities to monitor impact.

 Supporting and empowering project staff

As reflected on in the section on progress under SO2, PAX has learnt that there is a need to support project managers with strategic project implementation while empowering them to contextualise the project. During the first PME-training, it became apparent that a number of project staff did not have a full picture of the project and had limited understanding of its overall goals. While the project, its ToC, and its different components have been discussed and reviewed by everyone during the Inception Workshop in February, on hindsight it appears more time was needed to cover all the complexities of a programme of this scale. PAX staff has chosen to add

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 13 one day to the annual coordination meeting6 (three instead of two), and to include some strategic sessions in this meeting.

6 The Annual Coordination Meeting will take place 23 – 25 October, in Beirut. The first two days are for project staff, and on the third day the Advisory Committee will attend.

Quarterly Narrative Progress Update (July - September 2017) PAX Alliance  Engendering the Transition to Peace and Security in Iraq 14