Provincial-level Reconciliation Support in Iraq
Working with Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Iraqi leadership to resolve local conflict
USIP's team of Conflict Management Specialists and Network of Iraqi Facilitators (NIF) work closely with the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and Iraqi government institutions, providing mediation and consultation in support of PRT efforts to strengthen Iraqi governance and improve delivery of essential services. This PRT support focuses on strategic provinces where conflict and tension persist.
Diyala
The State Department’s Provincial Reconstruction Team at Forward Operating Base Warhorse invited USIP to facilitate a dialogue in Diyala province, bringing together the Provincial Council members, the Directors General, the governor and his representatives. Amid difficult conditions over two days, the participants identified priority challenges and crafted a shared vision and goals for the Province over the four years of the Council's mandate.
- Click here to see the Diyala Declaration.
- For more information, see USIP: In The Field: USIP/State Department Partnership Achieves Success in Iraq: Window on Diyala Province.
Mahmoudiya
In Fall 2007, USIP staff and NIF members, in coordination with the Mahmoudiya ePRT and the 10th Mountain Division, assisted tribal and local government leaders in forging a groundbreaking peace accord in the South Baghdad region formerly known as the “Triangle of Death.” The event convened 31 tribal sheikhs -- 18 Sunni and 13 Shia -- from Mahmoudiya. The U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division asked the Institute to help the local sheikhs develop common goals and courses of action to restore stability to their troubled region. Local leaders and the U.S. military refer to the accord as a “turning point” in putting one of Iraq’s most violent regions on a path to lasting stability and peace. USIP continues to work with PRTs to produce similar successful results throughout some of Iraq’s most conflicted areas, including Diyala and Tikrit provinces.
- For more information on this initiative, read the December 2007 Peace Watch or the report from the US Embassy in Baghdad: USIP Partners with PRTs to Further Reconciliation in Iraq.