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Following for the coordination and the cooperation between Almesalla Center in Iraq and and un Ponte per (Italy) and NOVA (Spain ) and Centre Gandhi(Italy) for promoting nonviolence as alternative in Iraq and with the fund and support of the Catalan agency

The workshop( Nonviolent alternatives ) had been held in Erbil – Kurdistan – Iraq for the period 16^th -20^th of Feb 2007,

22 participants from all over Iraq discussed the conflict analyses and conflict resolution and the organized nonviolence campaigns and peace building in Iraq

To improve the participants awareness about the nonviolence struggle as a alternative

§ Defining Iraqi Experiences in ( peace building, nonviolent Campaigns ) and taking out lessons learned

22 participants selected from a group of applicants filled a form explains information’s about the applicants and there organizations the kind of work they are doing and there motivations to participates in this workshop.

§ The willing of the applicant ( ngo or individual ) to work for nonviolence promoting in the field

This table shows the few number of women could participate in this work shop due to the bad security situation in rest of Iraq and the difficulties of transportation in these days and the sensitivity of the subject of this workshop

No of participants	City	Area	Gender	No
3	Basrah	South Iraq	Males	1
1	Diwania	South Iraq	Female	2
1	Kut	Med Iraq	Male	3
2	Najaf	Med Iraq	Male and female	4
9	Baghdad	Baghdad	2 Females, 7 Males	5
1	Erbil	Kurdistan	Male	6
1	Sulaimania	Kurdistan	Male	7
3	Faluja	West and Northwest Iraq	Males	8
1	Kirkuk	West and Northwest Iraq	Male	9
22	9	5		Total

This table explains the geographical distribution of the participants in Iraq; it explains the areas and the cities where these Participants are working.

Selecting NGOs from vireos areas and vireos cities gives the workshop strong opportunities to build a local group can work one nonviolence in Iraq and able to represent the Iraqi civil society,

The number of representatives from Baghdad shows that there was a special attention to the capital due to the high number of NGO’s and the level of violence there.

A social event took place in the 16^th.February as one of Erbil's restaurant. All the participants and organizers met at this dinner.

Ismaeel Dawood The program manager in UPP welcomed the participants and presented the joint work for UPP and NOVA in promoting nonviolence in Iraq and he explains UPP, NOVA and Centro Gandhi wishes to this workshop to be successful, and the wiling to go on supporting this initiative and others that promote using alternative tools for peaceful social change, at the same time apologized for the absence of some representatives due to emergence reasons. On the other hand, Al-Mesalla/ Erbil has welcomed the participants and presented the purpose of launching Erbil branch and the uses of Hiwar hall.

Ismaeel dawood facilitated this session through a simple game to break the ice between the participants. The game is called ''Trust Game''. The idea is divide the participants into some random groups; while in each group there's one person of covered eyes who should move from one point to another without falling down. The participants, accordingly, will help this person to move and get to know each others.

The NPA facilitated and trained on this issue. The used methodology was through presentations, open discussion and working groups. The session main purpose was to study the conflict justification with a focus on differences and clash in interests. Furthermore, the session intended to present the types of conflict, reason of analyzing the conflict, the axes of conflict and violence, and in addition, the necessity of implementing the techniques of understanding the conflict parties. At the same time, the trainer introduced the mechanisms of dealing with conflicts such as Arbitration, Mediation, Negotiation, settling the conflict with/ without dealing with the mean reasons of it. The working groups tried to frame the main parties in the Iraqi conflict, the participants discussed openly the main local/ regional parties and the American occupation, drawing a matrix of the conflict and the conflict parties.

The outcome of this work was a combination of different local and international parties which enrich this conflict and complicate calming it.

Ismaeel Dawood from UPP facilitated this session depending on brainstorming methodology; as the participants discussed several terms presented on the board, tried to define and differentiate between them. In addition, a discussion was held to present the most popular terms which are used in a wrong way such as non-violence: non-violence doesn't mean to stop the violence or violence doesn't equal power, but non-violence can be divided into two types: ethical and regular non-violence, at the same time, UPP stressed the point that non-violence is not sufficient only for certain conflicts but it proved its efficiency in several experiences : when combating dictatorship, occupation, political socio-cultural changes world wide and whatever the ruling system was.

The facilitator presented several examples from the history which Jean Sharp discussed in his book about the ''alternatives''. A handout was distributed among the participants to read: ''Non-violence, human energy to change, Civil Society's publications, Lebanon'', in addition to another exercise to remind of different historical events that Iraq passed through concerning certain terms (power, resistance, non-violence, violence, passive, occupation). The purpose of this exercise was to distinguish between passivism and non-violence, power and violence, and violence and non-violence resistance.

The purpose of this session is to present the main steps suggested by Prof. Jean Marie Moller in his writings about planning a non-violent work campaign. The methodology was a sort of interaction between UPP, the presenter, and the participants. The discussion strategy was through presenting a certain step supporting it with historical examples. The planning starts by analysis, setting a goal (which should be realistic and achievable), and the non-violence choice should be, from a strategic point of view, not hidden, well organized and able to attract public opinion. Moreover, the non-violence choice should adopt a building program and maintain the relations with the opposite party in the conflict in all stages (starting and advanced stages). In addition, the necessity of counting oppression and proper preparedness to it –as it will be an essential part when planning and preparing.

A handout was distributed to the participants of Jean Marie Moller's article about stages of planning a non-violence campaign, in addition to an exercise of planning a campaign according to the Iraqi context.

The used methodology was of direct interaction between the facilitator, who presented the initial idea, and the participants. The next session was for presenting each experience, defining it, integrating its each strengths and weaknesses, and suggesting ideas to improve it –all the experiences and examples were from the participants themselves.

The LAONF First Week Group presented a play before of presenting their experiences. The play was showing the different conflict parties in Iraq who represent sectarian and political fragmentations, and their tendency to blame each other but not to bear their responsibilities, which leaded Iraq to this mass stage of violence. After presenting the play, the group displayed the role of each activist of them, the coordination between members, and the main challenges and obstacles which face them.

LARSA centre presented their experiences of promoting for non-violence; through the conducted workshops that they organized in Baghdad. Similarly, the Students' Union of Najaf presented their experience of strikes and demonstration campaigns conducted to the sake of their colleagues who experienced arbitrary detention and beaten in the incident of the American troops' intrusion to Students' accommodations.

In addition, Peace Building Campaign/ Kurdistan presented the experience of violence within the period of 1994-1998. The riot in that period was caused by the main leading parties which had internal conflicts. The experience presented was through painting galleries which had a great participation of Kurdish artists. The exhibition place was in the separating area between the two parties to attract the attention of them. In the same area, some students' unions also gathered and demonstrated in an indication to the call of ending the conflict. Many other activities were conducted in the same area; recently, this area is called Beirer which symbolizes peace.

The participants were invited to visit Beirer location; to see what is left from Ismaeel Al-Khayyat's artistically made. The field visit motivated the members to think of the Art as a tool to expression and awareness among the public.

The session is designed just to summarize and classify the presented experiences, as some of them were:

2- Promoting for non-violence (not only condemnation, but also presenting alternatives)

This affected the trend of the participants' thinking towards more specialized type of activities, in accordance to the geographical areas, responding to the main three issues: non-violent work campaign, promotion of non-violence culture, and peace building campaigns.

The trainer presented the idea of a one week campaign, suggested that each group to select a time in accordance to the suitness of their geographical circumstances. At the same time, each group will present their forthcoming activities.

- more attention to promoting the non-violent alternative as a resistance tool (there was a confusion between defining the two terms of ''stopping violence'' and ''organized non-violence'')

- flexibility of conducting activities in accordance to the contextual needs, at the same time, to maintain the main common frame among all groups

- to conduct symbolic activities such as olive trees' planting, white balloons flying, white doves' flying, burying bullets, distributing posters about non-violence

- to promote for the non-violence culture in different activities conducted by all NGOs, and to be specialized for promoting for the coming week of non-violence

- to hold sessions/ forums about non-violence accompanied with printed publications

- to promote for calling to legislate special law to prevent from importing toys of kids which resemble guns and aggressive games.

- To conduct the week of non-violence within the period of May 2007, so it will proceed the students' examination time, but within school working days.

- Creation of a special website to assist these NGOs by the needed materials and well designed planned

The main discussed website was (www.laonf.org), the discussion was about the development of this idea:

- adoption of a more opened policy; through connecting this website with other specialized links

- designing two formats for applications of joining for members and receiving newsletters for NGOs

- displaying members' logos with more details about their NGOs and their activities, at the same time, connecting the website with their homepages

- maintaining the specialization of the website about non-violence, but making it more attractive

Daily evaluation was conducted through direct interaction with the participants, however, a special form was distributed to measure the participants' evaluation, and the results are as of the followings:

75% considered the used exercises for conflict analysis and defining conflict parties' session was very good

95% considered the session of planning for non-violence promotion activities is very good

Some technical difficulties occurred pre/during the workshop implementation, such as the colleagues of NOVA couldn't attend, similarly the trainer from couldn't travel from Lebanon to Erbil, which caused a change to the plans and made the organizers re-divide their roles and changing the materials in the last moment.

One of the participants from Falluja got sick, which made some of his colleagues join him in the hospital, where it occurred that he needs an urgent surgery. He spent all of training period in the hospital.

The main recommendation to face such constraints is to plan in a flexible way which helps to face such sudden changes.

The selected date for this week is the 1^st of May till the 6^th. An invitation will be distributed among the members to join the week of non-violence with coordination between them in their geographical areas. Each group will implement some activities in accordance to their geographical areas in accordance to their needs and capability/ fund, these activities should be meeting the main goal of promoting for peace building and non-violence as a tool to change.

Almesalla Center in Baghdad and In Erbil will play the coordinating part in Iraq, and will keep the contact to support with the international partners especially NOVA, UPP, Centro Gandhi, the event both financially and technically and will insure that the news- information’s about this event will speared in all over the world

- planting olive trees in educational institutes such as schools/ universities and also in the house of parliament

- publications of articles about the ideology of non-violence and the alternative ways of resistance

- create an electronic account to provide consultancy when planning such campaigns and to respond to the members' needs

Male	Female
18	4	No.
82%	18%