81266516-Media for Peace Campaign: Promoting Social Cohesion through Media in Ninewa, Iraq

Ninewa Governorate in north western Iraq continues to be severely affected by the aftermath of the occupation by the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) and the subsequent liberation struggles, which led to massive destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods as well as mass displacement. The situation is further complicated by the deep-rooted tensions and lines of conflict between various groups, mistrust between those and the lack of trust in the state to provide security for the individual populations, resulting in a widespread failure to return to former areas of origin. In Ninewa governorate, the GIZ project ‘Strengthening resilience in dealing with crises and conflicts in Ninewa Province in Iraq (SRN)’ aims to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations through the construction and rehabilitation of basic public social infrastructure, livelihood activities as well as peacebuilding measures. Thereby, the project aims at conceptualizing the relevant connection between so called ‘hard components’ e.g. construction and ‘soft components’ including programming in conflict transformation, promoting peaceful coexistence and strengthening social cohesion in Ninewa, particularly on a local level.