“Peace is not only brought about by words, but by our actions.”

Standing before tribal leaders, local officials, and community representatives gathered in Balad, Mr. Haider Ismael Al-Baldawi, Mayor of Balad and Chairperson of the Local Peace Committee, captured the spirit of a moment more than a century in the making.

On 25 May, nearly 100 tribal representatives came together to sign a renewed Peaceful Coexistence Charter 101 years after the original agreement was first signed. Joined by a member of parliament, local government officials, and UNDP, the gathering marked a renewed public commitment to peace, coexistence, and social cohesion across southern Salah Al-Din.

Led by the Local Peace Committee of Balad, the Charter outlines three shared commitments: sustaining peace through locally led dialogue and consensus-building; mobilizing communities to prevent violent extremism and hate speech; and ensuring that the violence experienced during the conflict with ISIL is never repeated.

Tribal leaders from Al-Dhuluiya, Yathrib, Al-Ishaqi, Aziz Balad, Al-Rawashed, Al-Juzarat, and Kubban signed the Charter following weeks of consultations and dialogue sessions. More than ten meetings brought tribal leaders and local authorities together step by step, supported by mediation skills and peacebuilding capacities developed over years through UNDP support.

For Sheikh Abdul Hamed Al Hatemi, the process itself was as important as the outcome.

“The consultative approach allowed us to reflect our beliefs and values in this Charter,” he said.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Baldawi, Member of Parliament, described the agreement as “more than words written on paper,” calling it “the beginning of a new phase” for social cohesion in Salah Al-Din.

Supporting Families to Return Home

The signing comes at a critical moment for the governorate, where many families remain displaced while return processes continue across several areas.

For tribal leaders, the event also became an opportunity to advocate for families still waiting to return home.

“This is a great opportunity to support returning families,” said Sheikh Ismael Al-Haloub. “These families are not guilty and do not bring harm to our communities.”

Sheikh Abdul Ameer Al-Baiaty added that the conference created space to raise the cases of families still unable to return to certain locations.

Following the signing ceremony, tribal leaders, UNDP representatives, and Mayor Al-Baldawi met to discuss the most pressing challenges facing returnees and agreed to closely follow up on the Charter’s commitments to ensure they translate into tangible support for affected families.

UNDP noted that the initiative reflects growing local ownership of peacebuilding efforts across Iraq.

“Your proactive focus on implementing the Charter for the benefit of communities and returnees is a lesson that can be shared across the 26 Local Peace Committees supported by UNDP,” representatives said during the discussions.

UNDP also highlighted similar mediation efforts recently led by the Local Peace Committee in Haditha, Anbar Governorate, as part of broader efforts to support reintegration and locally led peace structures nationwide.

Building Peace from Within Communities

The renewed Charter represents one of many locally led peacebuilding achievements supported by UNDP across Iraq.

Across Salah Al-Din, Ninewa, Anbar, Diyala, and Kirkuk, 26 Local Peace Committees have supported the return and reintegration of more than 8,515 families. Women and Youth Peace Groups, alongside Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) Sub-Committees, continue to work within their communities to strengthen dialogue, prevent conflict, and support sustainable reintegration.

The initiative also highlights the importance of an integrated approach to reintegration. By strengthening local trust and community capacities for peace, UNDP helps create the conditions needed for socio-economic assistance, legal support, and mental health and psychosocial services to take root — allowing mistrust to fade and long-term reintegration to succeed.

As Dr. Mohammed Al-Baldawi reflected during the signing:

“We united to fight ISIL. Today, we are uniting to build social cohesion.”

The Charter process was generously supported by the Government of Spain and implemented in collaboration with UNDP’s broader social cohesion and reintegration partners, including the European Union, SIDA, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, KOICA, Japan, the UN Peacebuilding Fund, and the UNDP Funding Window.