Iraq is one of the world’s most ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse countries. Unfortunately, the long and turbulent political history of Iraq has led the country to be divided along sectarian lines. The socio-political divisions have led to a series of armed conflicts, an obstruction of democratic practice, and a breakdown of inclusive public life for the different societal components of Iraq. Although some political progress was made with the introduction of a new constitution and the holding of several parliamentary and local government elections, pressure on the social and political fabric of Iraq is still on the rise. The practice of citizenship in Iraq remains fragmented with many social groups being excluded from public life.

Adyan has been working in Iraq since 2015 – based on its belief in the richness and added value of diversity – to contribute to the country’s exit from its accumulated crises and erode the obstacle of socio-political sectarian divisions in the face of human development. Throughout the experience, Adyan identified a major problem pertaining to national dialogue between the different factions of Iraqi society, rooted in a failure of communication between the different social and religious groups in the country, which in turn has resulted in a lack of solid initiatives towards unifying an inclusive and common vision for citizenship.