Exploring Refugee Return and Legal Innovation: Insights from Mr. William Warda's Participation in a UNHCR Workshop in Iraq
The workshop was organized by the UNHCR in Iraq in partnership and cooperation with The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HIIL) in Baghdad on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
by: Mohamad Noor Ahmad | Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO)
Mr William Warda, Director of Public Relations at the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization and the lead researcher of the Iraqi research team for the Return Migration (GAPs) project, participated in a workshop organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Iraq in partnership and cooperation with The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HIIL) in Baghdad on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
The agenda of the workshop included topics related to the results of surveys on the justice needs of refugees, displaced persons, and host communities in Iraq, which include resolving conflicts, disputes, or grievances that can be legally resolved to achieve fair outcomes.
The survey results were evaluated by The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HIIL) in its investigative study on the justice needs of refugees, displaced persons, and host communities, which included more than 2,550 randomly selected individuals from different regions across the country.
Mr. William Warda emphasized the importance of the topic of religious and ethnic minorities in projects that require justice for refugees and displaced persons, as well as for the host social environment for these groups.
The participants of the workshop provided their opinions and experiences to enrich the results of the study. They assessed whether the results align with their own field experiences and reflected on how to integrate data into their practice and prioritize the most burdensome legal problems in Iraq, which have had the greatest impact on daily life in affected areas of displacement. It aimed to find the best ways to address justice issues by generating a rich set of ideas in escalating contexts that serve as platforms for reform processes.
It is worth noting that the experience gained in this field plays a significant role in establishing a clear foundation for transitional justice and in finding solutions to existing problems, which is expected to ultimately lead to ending the prevailing exceptional conditions.
At the end of the workshop, representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Iraq and The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law appreciated the opinions presented, affirming that they will provide a solid basis for formulating more cohesive strategies and ensuring better access to justice.
During the workshop, a presentation was delivered that displayed accurate statistical figures of the study conducted for the workshop purposes.
Contact:
Mohamad Noor Ahmad | Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO) | noor.hhro@gmail.com