Al Rafidain Peace Organization was founded in 2007 and works in the fields of peacebuilding and gender issues. Its work is focused on young people, children and women, particularly in universities and schools. The organisation considers monitoring and reporting on the reality of human rights and freedoms in Iraq to be an essential part of peacebuilding in Iraq. 

Major achievements

Al Raifidain Peace has implemented a number of projects with the Lebanese Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue (FDCD) namely:

• Spreading the culture of dialogue and social peace in schools: the project included producing a training manual on conflict transformation skills, communication, non-violence, peacebuilding.
• Reducing the phenomenon of child soldiers in Iraq: The organisation led a network of five local organisations for a period of four months to raise awareness of child soldiers in Iraq and pressure the government to take action. More information is available here: www.childsoldiers-iq.org.
• Inviting youth to protect the childhood of Deviation: This project aimed to reduce the effects of sectarian violence on young people in Baghdad.
• Protection of the Rights of the Child in the schools: Workshops for training in the field of human rights and child rights.
• Festival of "Youth for Peace": The festival aimed to spread the message of peace and tolerance and also to open the continuous relationship between civil society organizations and university students.
• Projects that have been implemented in cooperation with the NCCI and UNDP include: A series of small projects within the campaign "the right to live in safety" with two phases (2007 – 2008).Leading an alliance of local organisations to implement the project "Mobile Youth for Peace" and the Project of "University Youth Umbrella"
• The organisation has led a project to protect vulnerable children and orphans from sectarian violence, and encourage them to become peacebuilders. Al Rafidain has worked on electoral awareness programmes to support parliamentary elections in Iraq. The organisation operated a legal clinic to provide free legal services to vulnerable women and girls residents of Yusufiyah area, one of the suburbs of Baghdad. The centre contained a specialised group of lawyers and a social worker to resolve all issues pertaining to women's rights.

Objectives of the organisation

• Spreading the culture of conflict resolution and transformation and reducing the culture of violence and extremism, and promoting the construction of peace development, and stimulating integration and community solidarity.
• Promoting the awareness of the constitutional and legal culture, civil society culture, and human rights in the community, and continue to respect and consolidate them at the level of behaviour and social relations.
• Refusing all forms of discrimination and violence against women, and promoting a culture of equality and gender issues, and supporting the participation and empowerment of women in all spheres of life, and make way for their creativity.
• Protecting the Rights of the Child
• Protecting the rights of minorities and refusing all forms of discrimination based on race, religion, caste, or gender.
• Defending the rights of young people and developing their abilities, and enhancing their role in the process of political, economic, cultural and community.
• Rallying and pressuring on the legislative and executive powers to recognise and incorporate the legislation and international treaties on human rights and civil liberties within the local laws and legislation, and follow-up on them.