Advocating a Gender Perspective in Peacebuilding: New MoU between UNDP Iraq and Folke Bernadotte Academy signed

May 6, 2021

Members of the Anbar Youth for Peace Group, supported by UNDP Iraq, attend the 2021 celebration of International Women’s Day.

Baghdad, Iraq, 06 May 2021 – A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Iraq and Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) to enhance local capacities for peacebuilding in Iraq with concentration on gender mainstreaming in peacebuilding. With a mandate to support international peace and security-related efforts, Folke Bernadotte Academy is a governmental agency based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Focused on effective peacebuilding, FBA and UNDP Iraq’s new partnership aims at advancing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 agenda on women, peace, and security, within the realm of social cohesion and the promotion of peaceful co-existence. Through working to advance a gender perspective in community peace processes, this partnership also contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Gender Equality (Goal 5) and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (Goal 16).

UNDP Iraq’s Social Cohesion Programme works with Iraqi local peace practitioners, including Community-Based Organizations and Communal Peace and Dialogue Committees, which FBA will provide training for on gender mainstreaming in dialogue processes under the year-long agreement.

According to UNDP Iraq Resident Representative Zena Ali-Ahmad, “This new collaboration with Folke Bernadotte Academy will further strengthen our efforts for inclusive and gender sensitive peacebuilding in Iraq through our extensive work with local organizations and peace structures. We are thankful to Folke Bernadotte Academy for this partnership and its contribution to advancing gender equality through our Social Cohesion Programme in Iraq.”  

Taleb Sobeh, project manager for Sweden’s strategy for development cooperation with Iraq, from FBA states, “UNDP is a key actor in the promotion of social cohesion and peaceful co-existence in Iraq, and this cooperation enables us to, together with local actors, work for gender equal processes that strategically take the priorities and perspectives of both women and men into account.”

UNDP Iraq has launched in 2020 a dedicated 5-year Social Cohesion Programme to promote stronger, peaceful, and more cohesive communities in all areas of Iraq.

For additional information, please contact:

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