On 17 October 2018, a civil society Fact-Finding Team revealed serious human rights violations against citizens in Basra for their participation in this past summer’s protests. These findings correspond with Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, which found that between 1 August and 7 September, 20 people were killed, 492 people were injured (including 80...
20 passionate youth activists from cities along the Euphrates River have established a network of Humat Al-Forat, “Euphrates Protectors”, a new offshoot of Humat Dijlah (Tigris Protectors) Organisation. From 2-3 November in Nasiriyah these activists from Basra, Hilla, Najaf, Nasiriyah and Anbar gathered together with youth from Amara, Diyala to announce the formation of their...
Human security requires environmental security Joint statement on the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, November 6 2018 Original statement here Today, our group of concerned civil society organisations, which includes academics, experts and scientists, are calling for the international community to enhance the protection of people...
World Cleanup Day, 15 September, saw the launch of a new campaign by volunteers of the Peace Forum in Ramadi. They plan to defend Euphrates River against pollution, and they have joined up with the Ramadi Police Directorate, Ramadi Municipality and Anbar Environment Directorate, all of whom have shown spectacular support for the campaign thus...
The Alyahodia River is a large branch of the Euphrates after the city of Al-Hindiya, also known as the Babylon Channel. In the past, its banks housed an intersection of cultures and religions which formed a thriving and integrated community. The original name of the river, Judaism River, dates back to 550 BC when Jewish...
Save the Tigris Campaign and partners announce the first alternative civil society forum for water in Mesopotamia: the Mesopotamian Water Forum will be held in Spring 2019 in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and will involve civil society actors from the states of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria. It will be an open space to give...
By Kawa Hassan and Camilla Born Middle East and North Africa Program & Working Group on Climate-Related Security Risks The following report was used in a July 2018 UN Security Council debate on the nexus between climate change and security, brought forward under the Swedish Presidency of the Council. Iraq is exposed to three major...
Published by Humat Dijla, 7 August 2018 As aresult of drought and water scarcity in the marshes, fire continues to spread over large areas of al-Huwaizah Marsh in Maisan Governorate in Southern Iraq, ravaging the natural area. Environmental activist Ahmed Saleh Neema, based in Maisan, explained the fire started in the pond of Um Alneaj...
Iraqi civil Society Solidarity Initiative 18th July 2018 Iraqis have been demonstrating for days in immense protests across southern Iraq—in Basra, Nasiriyah, Amarah, Kut, Karbala and Najaf—demanding basic services and rights, including water, electricity, and jobs. The frequency of demonstrations targeting oil fields, ports and airports, and the headquarters of political parties has mounted in...
After Iraqis celebrated the inclusion of their marshes on UNESCO’s World Heritage List two years ago in July 2016, it was expected that a new stage of recovery and prosperity throughout all of the Iraqi marshlands would begin, that this international recognition would end years of neglect and resulting environmental damage. However, this hope quickly...
