Nadia's Initiative Co-Hosts UN Digital Dialogue on 6th Anniversary of Yazidi Genocide

UNITED NATIONS DIGITAL DIALOGUE COMMEMORATING THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE YAZIDI MINORITY 

Co-hosted by: 

Nadia’s Initiative and the Permanent Missions of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations 

August 3rd, 2020 

10.30 am – 12 pm (EST) 

Six years after ISIL started its genocidal campaign: The state of the Yazidi community 

Background 

Restoring the Yazidi Community in Iraq in the Aftermath of the Genocidal Campaign 

On August 3rd 2014, the so-called Islamic State (ISIL) began a genocidal campaign against the Yazidi ethno-religious minority that involved ethnic cleansing in the form of mass executions, forced conversions, and widespread sexual violence. These attacks resulted in the massacre of thousands of Yazidis, enslavement of more than 6,500 Yazidi women and children, and displacement of over 350,000 Yazidis to Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Northern Iraq. 

Many of the over 120,000 Yazidis who have returned to their ancestral homelands in the region of Sinjar are struggling to rebuild their lives. The majority of these individuals have been without vital services since the summer of 2014, including healthcare, education, and livelihoods support. 

Speakers 

  • H.E. Michelle Müntefering, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany 

  • H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation 

  • Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Laureate, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador 

  • Amal Clooney, International Human Rights Lawyer 

  • High level representative, Iraq (tbc) 

  • Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, SRSG, UNAMI 

  • Karim Khan, UNSG Special Advisor, UNITAD 

  • Jomaa Jameel Murad, Director, Nabu Organization for Awareness 

Following the panel, the floor will be open to all member and observer states and civil society for interventions. 

Topics that will be raised 

  • Provision of basic services and restoration of infrastructure in Sinjar 

  • Missing Yazidi women and children 

  • Justice and accountability for crimes committed by ISIL perpetrators 

  • Improving local governance and security in Sinjar 

  • Working with the federal government in Baghdad and the regional government in Erbil to ensure safe, dignified and voluntary return of those still displaced 

  • Protection of Yazidis in Syria 

This event will be streamed online at webtv.un.org. 

Advocacy, Related NewsGuest UserNinewa, Iraq, Sinjar, Nadia Murad, Nadia’s Initiative, Yazidi Genocide