Kut, Iraq, 28th July 2019 – At a three-day workshop from 25th to 27th July 2019, in the city of Kut in Wasit Governorate, a group of 27 young Iraqi women and men from across the Governorate discussed how youth can play a role in addressing the challenges facing their communities. This was the sixth in a series of workshops under the theme “Iraqi Youth: Pioneers for Dialogue and Stability”, which are taking place across Iraq throughout 2019, organised by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), in cooperation with the Committee for Coexistence and Societal Peace in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Iraqi Al-Amal Association.
During the workshop, the group discussed a number of challenges identified as important by youth in Wasit. These included social cohesion and peaceful coexistence; youth unemployment and job opportunities; women’s empowerment and protection of vulnerable women; improvement of health services in the Governorate; and strengthening the social responsibility and accountability of oil companies operating in Wasit.
On the third and final day, an interactive session was held with the representative of the Governor of Wasit and a number of local politicians, in which the issues identified by the youth were discussed.
Mr. Khalid Elsawi, from the Office of Political Affairs, speaking on behalf of UNAMI, emphasized the key role of youth in building a peaceful and sustainable future Iraq, which will meet the aspirations of all its people. This cannot be done without the political, social and economic participation of young people.
The activity is in line with UNAMI’s mandate to support youth and their valuable contributions to Iraqi public life.
Similar workshops were recently organised in Basra, Karbala, Babil, Anbar and Najaf.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Khalid Dahab, Deputy Director of Public Information/Deputy
Spokesperson
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 194 01 46, Email: dahab@un.org
or the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org