UNITAD-NGO Dialogue Forum

Cooperation with NGOs has been critical to the progress which UNITAD has achieved to date in the implementation of its mandate, pursuant to UN Security Council resolution 2379 (2017). Different units of UNITAD have worked closely with many NGOs at the operational level to support the Team’s investigations.

Moreover, UNITAD has been eager to hear from the wider NGO community in Iraq on their experiences and their views on areas pertaining to the work of the Team. To this end, the UNITAD-NGO Dialogue Forum was launched in December 2020, with the aim of serving as a platform that brings together all relevant international and Iraqi NGOs for regular collaboration, exchange of ideas and best practices, as well as exploring areas for enhancing cooperation. The UNITAD-NGO Dialogue Forum has been convening two types of events:

I.  A series of thematic roundtable discussions those are panel-format event addressing specific thematic areas in which UNITAD engages as part of its investigative activities. The events bring together international and local experts with UNITAD team member for an in-depth discussion on one theme for each roundtable.

II. A biannual plenary roundtable which aim to provide a broader update on the work of UNITAD, and to serve as an open space for suggestions on how to better engage with NGOs. The plenary also is a space where survivors can have their voice heard by both UNITAD and the NGO community.

The observations and recommendations of the thematic and plenary roundtables are disseminated to all relevant units within the Investigative Team. UNITAD seeks to incorporate the outcome of those meetings in the biannual report by the Special Adviser and Head of UNITAD to the UN Security Council.

NGO partners can contact the focal points of the UNITAD-NGO Dialogue Forum via the following email address for any enquiries: UNITAD-NGO@un.org.

 

Below are the summary notes of the UNITAD-NGO Dialogue Forum events: