Iraq and UN sign $3M Peace and Stability Project in Sinjar document to support stability

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Iraq and the United Nations signed the Peace and Stability Project document, with a total funding of three million dollars.

The Ministry of Planning stated, “The project was initiated under the ministry's auspices, funded by the United Nations, and executed by three UN agencies: the United Nations Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration, and UN Women.”

"This project supports stability in Sinjar and aims to achieve sustainability in areas of training and development. It includes infrastructure components and elements related to training and social cohesion." The ministry further noted, "This portion of support is provided by the UN in Iraq amidst current crises and circumstances, which the government is addressing to rebuild Sinjar and the liberated areas affected by ISIS."

The project was signed on the Iraqi side by Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil and on behalf of the United Nations by UN Development Programme representative in Iraq Auke Lootsma, in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning for Technical Affairs, Maher Hammad Johan, and the Director General of the International Cooperation Department, Saher Abdul Kazem.

Situation in Sinjar

 ISIS militants had overrun Sinjar in 2014, committing atrocities against the Yazidi population. Peshmerga forces recaptured the district the following year.

Following tensions between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government over the 2017 independence referendum, the Iraqi army, backed by the Popular Mobilization Forces, assumed control of Sinjar.

Currently, Sinjar has two local administrations: one appointed by the federal government and another operating from the Duhok Governorate.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) also maintains a pro-PKK faction in Sinjar known as the Sinjar Protection Units, which receives Iraqi government funds as part of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Baghdad and Erbil reached an agreement in October 2020 to normalize the situation in Sinjar, including joint administration of the district. However, the agreement remains stalled due to political reasons, according to Kurdish officials.