Preventing the eruption of conflicts and violence, transforming their causes and finding solutions based on dialogue through the strengthening of civil societies: this is the aim with which the Catalan organisation Novact (International Institute for Nonviolent Action) has in recent years set up Observatories for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (OPEV) in various countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The collaboration between Un Ponte Per, Novact, and the local organisations Laong and Pfo, will lead to the creation of an Observatory also in Iraq (OPEV - Iraq), thanks to the work of a Coordination Committee that will deal with evaluation, programming and monitoring from a technical-administrative point of view, and the creation of thematic groups for research, training and practical methodology.
OPEV-Iraq's work will focus particularly on the Syrian refugee population in Iraq, the internally displaced Iraqi population, and Iraqi and Kurdish host communities.
Through analysis, research, publication and training activities in Iraqi Kurdistan, OPEV-Iraq will elaborate a plan for the prevention of violent extremism in Iraq to be submitted to local, national, regional and international institutions, conducting networking actions with the United Nations and the European Union. Exchanges of good practices and coordination between OPEV-Iraq and the other Observatories in Jordan and Catalonia through seminar activities will make its action more effective.
The ultimate goal will be to encourage the active participation of civil societies in the development of public policies in the field of peacebuilding, conflict resolution and the management of refugee populations, with a special focus on youth and women. This will counteract the spread of hate speech and foster social cohesion.
During 2021, thanks to the second phase of the project, numerous activities planned for the previous year and suspended due to the pandemic will be carried out. Specifically, with a special focus on Syrian refugees in the Sulaymaniyah area of the Arbat district, activities will be promoted to raise awareness of gender-based violence and inter-community conflict management and mediation. These activities are organised in the Sulaymaniyah Community Centre and include radio programmes, awareness-raising campaigns on non-violent conflict management and sport as a tool to counter violence, educational, artistic and sports activities, and awareness-raising sessions on Covid-19. A total of 8,160 people will be involved.
