The refugees of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine were primarily women. Since the beginning of the war, family members were often separated from each other. Therefore, especially women have to take on new roles within their families and in society as a whole.  They also have to figure out how to adapt in Germany on a social and personal level. Beyond housing, clothing, and work, they require opportunities to become politically and socially involved in Germany or in Ukraine.

The project therefore intends to offer politically engaged and interested refugee women from Ukraine the chance to learn about German democracy and the related political and civil society structures, both in theory and practice. Throughout the programme, refugee women from Ukraine will acquire theoretical and practical knowledge about German democracy and the related political and civil society structures.

The beneficiaries will learn about the German political system and its underlying principles; such as transparency, rule of law, human rights, women’s rights, freedom of the media, and separation of powers. This will support them to orient themselves for future socio-political engagement in Germany – but also in Ukraine or other countries. 

Due to the current situation in Ukraine and the steady influx of refugees from Ukraine to Germany, it is critical to create offers for these socio-politically motivated women as soon as possible, through which they can discuss issues of coexistence and engage in exchanges with one another. 

Project activities:

The programme offers a series of three modular workshops to three groups of Ukrainian female refugees: 

• The first module focuses on personal development and promotes team building, dialogue and trust within the groups. 
• The second module provides insights into German politics and civil society perspectives.
• The third module focuses on political participation opportunities in Germany and specialised knowledge, competences from the field of civic education and soft skills.  

During workshops, participants will explore their own interests and develop a project idea alone or with others. They will learn how to deepen their political, social, or artistic interests and take action. 

Taking action helps trauma survivors overcome passivity and inaction. Ukrainian refugee women will be shown opportunities for civil society or political activity in Germany. The project will give them a space to discuss their experiences and exchange ideas while also encouraging them to remain and become active. It reduces refugee isolation. 

Meanwhile, cultural and artistic activities like storytelling will help women overcome trauma and gain self-confidence. 

The workshops and a networking event will be held in a safe space for the participants.

After the last workshop in the programme plan, all participants will be brought together in an alumni meeting. In this way, the participants can build up a network that will enable them to exchange ideas and plan joint initiatives beyond the duration of the project.

The planned workshops go beyond current offers, such as those provided by the BAMF (integration courses), by imparting political and social knowledge about Germany and laying the groundwork for their own political and civil society participation. The skills taught in the workshops are also intended to help refugee women deal with trauma, and encounter spaces are designed to foster discussion and networking.

The project ”Women leaders for participation and peace.” with the collaboration with our local partners Women Now for Development, aims to contribute to realise equal rights for women in the Arsal area of Lebanon; an area that hosts many Syrian refugees. 

The project aims to enable 23 women in Arsal to take on a leadership role in promoting women’s participation in their communities and in political processes. Additionally, it aims to enhance women to positively affect the integration of the Syrian project participants into their host communities by contributing to reduce prejudice among the Lebanese population and furthering collaboration between both groups in promoting women’s rights and empowerment. 

The project allows the women participants to experience for themselves the benefits of a transition towards democracy and the rule of law,  in a very challenging local context. It also supports the participants to develop civil society initiatives that were identified throughout the training workshops of the programme as well as through their own community engagement.

The leadership programme “New Water Leaders for Iraq” responds to the challenges water resources in Iraq are facing: a strong deficit in coordinated and integrated water resource management paired with a deficit in leadership and conflict resolution skills among decision-makers, civil servants and other stakeholders in the water sector.

The programme trains a group of 22 participants to manage future water resource projects in an integrated manner and strengthens the network among decision-makers, civil servants and other stakeholders in the water sector. In a series of six interrelated workshops, the project brings together future leaders in the water sector from civil society, academia, and the public sector to enhance their knowledge about Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and equip them with the skills they need to adopt IWRM-conform practices in their day-to-day work. Themes covered include IWRM in theory and practice, gender sensitivity in water management, preventing and fighting corruption in the water sector and managing water-related conflict, including conflicts that may arise from applying IWRM principles in institutional reforms and policymaking (which has implications for traditional power holders with entrenched interests). 

In addition to building the capacities of the targeted individuals, the leadership programme will facilitate trust-building and networking among the participants with a view to creating the nucleus of what could one day become an influential multi-stakeholder alliance pushing for more inclusive and effective water policymaking and water management in Iraq.The project follows the needs identified in our past project “Clean Tigris” and refers to the Roadmap and website developed in 2021. 

Background:

Iraq has been experiencing severe drought in recent years, threatening to exacerbate an already unstable situation. Water demand is expected to increase in the future due to a rapid population growth (2.3% growth in the country compared to 1.1% globally), while the amount of available water will continue to decrease due to a decrease in precipitation (-9% by 2050), an increase in temperature (+ 2 °С in 2050), and the spread of longer and more severe droughts. According to the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, the country is expected to face a water shortage of 10.5 billion cubic meters in 2035.

Iraq has so far failed to successfully address the consequences of climate change – particularly in the areas of water and agriculture. Although there are numerous government ministries, councils and committees dealing with the issue, it lacks of independent institutions, research and well-trained scientists. Serious dialogue between government, academia and civil society on the impacts of climate change and measures to adapt to it is hardly taking place. Awareness among the population regarding climate change is low. There is a lack of public information, knowledge, and research on climate-smart action that actively engages the population.

The long-term goal of the project is to assist Iraq in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In order to advance with the development of a more solid climate and environmental policy, this study will examine the feasibility of a climate and environment institute in the country. This institute would be responsible for:

• Research and policy advice
• Implementation of dialogue programs between civil society and governmental stakeholders
• Establishment of sustainable networks for specific groups of stakeholders (e.g. women in climate change)
• Capacity building and scientific exchange
• Knowledge management at national and regional level

Background:

In 2021, Iraq still faces different challenges from violence, ethnic conflicts, instability, corruption, and a lack of stable administrative structures that function according to the rule of law. As mass protests in 2019/20 dominated Baghdad and the towns and cities of Southern Iraq, a legitimacy crisis was revealed, where distrust in the government and lack of confidence in decision-making institutions prevail among the whole Iraqi population, especially young Iraqis, who have been negatively impacted by the situation, and who explicitly demanded change in the social contract. In order to support post conflict stabilisation, nation building, the development of democratic institutions and a democratic culture at the national and community levels, as well as a peaceful and cohesive society in Iraq, elbarlament aims to promote a participative civil society discourse through civic education.

The “Democracy needs Civic Education – a feasibility study for a digital civic education platform” project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. The study will identify the needs and formats for civic education activities through consultations and dialogue with all relevant stakeholders (non-state and state actors, CSOs, local and international organisations as well as academic institutions). Among other topics, it will answer the question of who currently provides civic education in Iraq; on which topics and in which regions (urban vs. rural) as well as what non-partisan, independent and sustainable offers are already in place. It will also examine whether central knowledge platforms and networks already exist and how the planned platform could be financed.

Background:

Between May and October 2021, elbarlament conducted research on civil society space in Kyrgyzstan in the framework of the EU-funded Media Dialogue project. Data collection was done through a desk review, an online survey, bilateral interviews, focus groups and a workshop. Elbarlament’s managing director Sebastian Bloching travelled to Kyrgyzstan twice to conduct the focus groups and workshop in tandem with a local researcher. The goal was to assess recent political developments and how they impact civil society in Kyrgyzstan. This included analysis on how an on-going constitutional reform process, legal reforms and other actions by the current political regime affect not only NGOs, but also other stakeholders in the broader civil society field, such as media organisations, think tanks, trade unions, business associations and religious groups.