The Global Coalition Against Daesh has set stabilisation as a major goal after the military “liberation” of Iraqi and Syrian territories from Daesh, and created short-term funding tools to this end. Meanwhile, since 2014, a huge number of Iraqi activists and ordinary citizens have taken to the streets in several waves of protests to demand political change to surmount sectarianism and pursue a just peace.

Practitioners have observed that peacebuilding programmes seem to succeed when they challenge the status quo and address the root causes of conflicts, unsettling conventional visions of stability.

This Brown Bag Lunch discussion will feature a presentation by Martina Pignatti Morano, Peacebuilding Desk Officer and Domenico Chirico, Director of Programmes of the Italian NGO Un ponte per…, a peace and humanitarian organisation which has been active in Iraq since 1991 and covers several Middle-Eastern countries affected directly (occupation) or indirectly (inflow of millions of refugees) by the presence of Daesh. They will draw on the experience of their organisation to share insights on challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding in those Middle Easter countries which have been affected by Daesh, and the implications for the role and policies of the European Union and its Member States.

The presentations will be followed by an informal discussion with participants.

Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch and EPLO will provide tea and coffee.

Please note that seats are limited and registration is mandatory. Please contact Lorenzo Conti if you would like to participate.