Tal Afar, Ninewa – A peace agreement was signed today supporting the reintegration of families perceived to be affiliated with ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in the Al-Ayadhiya sub-district of Tal Afar in Ninewa Governorate. Today’s Local Peace Conference was sponsored by the Governor of Ninewa, the Mayor of Tal Afar, the head of Al-Ayadhiya sub-district, and other members of the Tal Afar Local Peace Committee, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq.

The Tal Afar Local Peace Committee (LPC) facilitated dialogue sessions with support from local government to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable return and reintegration process.  As one of the 24 local peace committees in Ninewa, Salah al-Din, and Anbar governorates supported by UNDP, the Tal Afar LPC plays a vital role in the reintegration process by designing and implementing activities that facilitate dialogue, mediation, and trust-building between different community groups.

As stated by UNDP Iraq Resident Representative Zena Ali-Ahmad, “This is one of several peace agreements UNDP Iraq will be supporting in 2021 to ensure the sustainable return and reintegration of  families perceived to be affiliated with ISIL, through our work with Local Peace Committees and other community peace structures. Planning is ongoing to establish additional local peace structures in Diyala and Kirkuk, where we will continue to support social cohesion initiatives and facilitate dialogue and mediation where it is needed most.”

Today’s conference is part of the UNDP project on community readiness and reintegration of perceived ISIL-affiliated IDP families and is built on the UN Iraq joint approach for community-based reconciliation and reintegration of persons perceived to be affiliated with ISIL/Da’esh in Iraq. The project includes a full social and economic area-based reintegration package in several pilot areas. Recently signed peace agreements have allowed the community acceptance and reintegration of hundreds of families with perceived affiliation in Habbaniyah, Anbar (January 26, 2021) and in Muhalabiya, Mosul (October 14, 2020).

Projects and interventions under the Social Cohesion Programme in Iraq are implemented with generous support from the governments of Denmark and Germany.

For additional information, please contact: 

Miriam Pineau, Media & Advocacy Project Specialist | +964 790 110 1982