We, along with the rest of the Iraqi people, have reviewed the draft government program presented by the designated Prime Minister, Mr. Ali Al-Zaydi, which was circulated in the media yesterday. The program was brief and included a general framework covering various aspects of government administration. While we understand the scale of internal and external challenges facing our dear Iraq—which are reflected across all state affairs—and the implementation issues and contradictions contained in the program due to its rushed preparation, we hope these will be addressed by the relevant experts within the Prime Minister’s team and the parliamentary committee in a way that serves our people and country from north to south.
However, regarding the Yazidi cause and the tragedy of the people of Sinjar, as one of the most oppressed and affected groups in Iraq, whose wounds have not been addressed and whose suffering has not been met with any prior government’s legal and moral responsibility, we had hoped that the government program would not ignore the tragedy of a people who have lived for nearly 12 years in camps and in a marginalized and neglected region, subjected to internal and external agendas and conflicts, amid a lack of administration, reconstruction, and justice.
Therefore, we call upon the Prime Minister-designate, the government program team, the Parliament Presidency, and the relevant parliamentary committee to ensure justice and prevent the marginalization of victims of ISIS crimes. We demand that the government program include:
• Ending the suffering of the Yazidi people in Sinjar: through adopting a clear and time-bound government policy to end displacement by providing the necessary conditions for safe return, along with fair and practical compensation and reparations for all victims.
• Adopting real reconstruction measures by restructuring the Reconstruction Fund into a dedicated “Sinjar Reconstruction Fund,” with independent legal status, and ensuring appropriate national and international funding. All issues related to restoring stability must be resolved, including governance challenges, in line with democratic principles based on the will of the people of Sinjar to determine their own fate and representatives without external guardianship.
• Including a comprehensive national transitional justice plan that guarantees the rights of all victims affected by conflict, particularly victims of terrorism and the ISIS period in Iraq, while preventing impunity. The program should also include a national strategy to prevent extremism, combat and hold accountable hate speech and sectarian incitement, and promote genuine reconciliation, peace, coexistence, and brotherhood among all components of Iraqi society. This should be achieved through comprehensive reforms, including cultural and educational curriculum reforms, to build a diverse and inclusive Iraqi identity based on human rights, equality, and the shared civilizational and cultural heritage of Mesopotamia.
• Finally, the quota system, which was originally intended to ensure balanced national representation, has turned into an obstacle to true minority representation and has contributed to the marginalization of Iraqi elites and competencies in general, and the exclusion of Yazidis in particular from positions of decision-making and governmental influence in previous terms. This has directly affected Yazidi areas, especially Sinjar, which continues to suffer from the consequences of genocide, displacement, administrative vacuum, and lack of real solutions.
Therefore, we emphasize the necessity of a Yazidi ministerial representation in the new Iraqi government, provided that it is based on independent Yazidi political will and representation, not subject or affiliated to any external political party or entity. True representation is only achieved when it genuinely reflects the concerns, interests, and aspirations of the Yazidi community, away from political imposition and dependency, while ensuring competence and experience within a free and independent Yazidi framework that prioritizes the interests of the country and community, ending displacement, and restoring stability above all political considerations.
Signatory Civil and Yazidi Institutions:
- House of Coexistence
- Nadia’s Initiative
- Youth Bridge Organization
- Sinjar Open Dialogue Platform
- We Are With You Organization
- Jilan Organization for Care and Rehabilitation
- Yazidi Survivors Network
- Heart of Sinjar Relief and Development Organization
- Voices of Survivors Network
- Tolay Organization for Care of Survivors and Victims
- Naseem Sinjar Organization for Disability Care
- Hope for Peace and Development Organization
- Wargeen Foundation for Women and Media
- Nabu Organization
- Petrichor Human Rights Organization
- Helat Relief and Development Organization
- Yazidi Millennium Development Organization