On 28 May, the end-of-project conference of 'Tatweer 2', which has seen us support over 500 Iraqi civil society associations and organisations in recent years, was held in Baghdad.

On a hot and windy summer's day, representatives from all Iraqi provinces, delegations from the government and various ministries, as well as a European delegation in Iraq, gathered to take stock and reflect on the scope and achievements of the 'Tatweer' project, which has reached the end of its second phase.

A conference that has welcomed a multitude of voices that have come together in recent years to demand rights for women and minorities, environmental justice, freedom of expression and coexistence between communities. Created to give a space for expression and confrontation to those who in recent years have fought for a freer and more inclusive Iraq, Tatweer in this not only represents a project, but a collective action that has united, from Basra to Kurdistan, a society committed to change and to building a future of peace and coexistence.

Summarising the overall results of Tatweer, Bahman Hassan, project manager of Tatweer, highlighted the overall impact of the project: in addition to the support provided to more than 500 local associations and organisations, more than 376 services were delivered, in workshops covering training on fundraising, project writing, public policy, project management, among others.

In Iraq, a country that has been scarred by wars and conflicts for decades, with repercussions that have lasted for years and wounds that are still open, civil society is committed to supporting a profound, radical change, driven by hope and stories of resistance that have given proof and concreteness that a different future is possible, and in part is already here.

This is testified by the numerous experiences gathered by 'Tatweer', which succeeded in uniting different contexts and fields in a path made up of different themes and contents: among them , climate change and the environment, combating gender-based violence, prevention of violent extremism, human rights (with special attention to women and minorities), environmental and climate justice, peacebuilding, and more.

During the event, Hasan emphasised that the importance of 'Tatweer' is to be found in its concrete and positive aspects to the development and empowerment of Iraqi civil society, 'through the provision of essential resources and equipment for the workers, as well as numerous training and counselling services provided in our five provincial centres'. But it is necessary for the international community to continue supporting Iraq and civil society, as 'changes achieved so far have been instrumental in transforming the country's public policy landscape, encouraging the active participation of young people, women and civic actors in the life of civil society and thus helping to alleviate the challenges faced by citizens and the community as a whole'.

"This project led to the opening of five centres in Mosul, Erbil, Baghdad, Ramadi and Basra. We asked ourselves what the local realities we wanted to support really needed, and from there our approach was born,' says Raid Mikhael Shabah, Country Director of UPP in Iraq.

"These centres could help support Iraqi civil society, but it was necessary to organise the complete management of a non-governmental organisation for these centres to function and to be able to implement projects and programmes. We also provided small funding so that these NGOs could implement projects and programmes. For civil society, and especially for smaller organisations, the lack of funds was an obvious problem'.

That is why 'Tatweer', explains Mikhael, has taught local organisations not only how to realise their projects, but also how to write a project, how to prepare a financial plan, how to manage it 'from scratch to the end'. But that's not all. It has enabled the creation of a network in Iraqi civil society. Through the various associations, in fact, it was possible to reach even those more isolated realities, which were often not even intercepted by donors, because they were too far away or in areas difficult to reach. "There are governorates in Iraq where nobody really comes. But with these centres it has been possible to get there".

Ajyal Charitable Society for the Development of Intelligence and Creativity is an association that has set up a project called 'Balsam', an orientation and support centre for women and girls who are victims of physical harassment in the community of Diyala province. Mohammed Mundas Ali, project manager of the organisation, says that the Balsam centre has supported over 140 women, providing them with information to share with other women to encourage them to go to the centre.

The organisation works with more than 10 institutions and government offices in the Diyala area, distributing brochures with numbers, contacts and information on the services offered. Anyone visiting these institutions can be directed to the centre if needed.

"An emblematic story is that of a girl with disabilities, whose family initially prevented her from participating in the centre. After dialogue with the operators, the father agreed, and the girl was able to access a psychosocial support programme and a project for economic autonomy," says Mundas Ali.

But other projects are being implemented and developed for the future. Thanks to a small amount of funding, a beekeeping activity was started, involving men and women in honey production with the aim of fostering collaboration between the sexes to reduce incidents of gender-based violence, extremism and conflict, especially in the villages.

The organisation has also written a proposal to promote women's involvement with members of parliament and is working on a proposal to involve them in dialogue sessions with candidates in the Iraqi parliamentary elections next November. 'So that women's issues are brought to Parliament and new laws in their favour are promoted, should they be elected'.

Lavinia Nocelli - Communication Intern, UPP Iraq