USIP has conducted the second workshop in a project aimed at fostering cooperation among Iraq´s ethnic and religious groups by training Iraqi facilitators to conduct dialogues among government and civil society leaders.
USIP has conducted the second workshop in a project aimed at fostering cooperation among Iraq's ethnic and religious groups by training Iraqi facilitators to conduct dialogues among government and civil society leaders.
Forty-one participants from the northern and central Iraqi governorates of Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Al Anbar (16 of whom were women) took part in the August 15-19 workshop in Sulaymaniyah.
The Institute's Professional Training Program followed the same format as the May 2004 training in core conflict management skills in Baghdad. Professional Training Officers Liane Martindale and Anne Henderson and Peace and Stability Operations Program Officer Sloan Mann conducted the workshop, which brought together participants from diverse government and civil society backgrounds, including NGO heads, sheikhs, lawyers, academics, municipal government officials, businessmen, journalists, engineers and medical practitioners.
All shared a commitment to peaceful inter-group conflict management, and many are leaders in their communities. The August workshop aimed to strengthen the participants' skills in conflict analysis and problem solving, to develop negotiation tools, and build facilitation and mediation skills that can be utilized during Iraq's democratic transition. The participants were actively engaged and enthusiastic.
