The 'Engendering Peace' project aims to promote a gender perspective in the ongoing peace processes in Iraq and Lebanon in order to ensure their sustainability and to ensure the full participation of women in the peacemaking and peacebuilding phases, consistent with UN Resolution 1325. This general objective will be pursued through two specific objectives.
First and foremost, the strengthening of women's capacity to produce and disseminate their own narratives about war, focusing on their active role, the violations they have suffered, their trauma and the influence of these factors on their identity. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to build a regional community of Fighters for Peace, with exchange activities between women in Iraq and Lebanon, which can promote public debate in the Middle East on women's participation in peace processes.
The target groups of the intervention are women living in Iraq, including members of minorities, Syrian refugees, ex-combatants and survivors of violence; and women living in Lebanon, including ex-combatants who participated in the country's civil war (1975 - 1990).
The intervention therefore envisages the organisation of psycho-social support workshops in Iraq, addressed both to women survivors of violence and to psychologists and psychologists, for a professional update on post-traumatic stress disorder therapy for women; leadership workshops addressed to 120 Iraqi women and Syrian refugees in Iraq; round tables to deepen the issues touched upon by Resolution 1325; and a series of awareness-raising activities in the media, schools and universities. Finally, exchanges between women in Iraq and Lebanon will be organised to open a discussion on women's experience in war contexts.
Project partners are: Fighters for Peace, Dak Organisation for Ezidi Women Development, Youth Bridge Development Organisation, DOZ, Iraqi Social Forum, Centre for Civil Defence Studies.
