Since the fall of ISIL, the international community has supported the Government of Iraq to rebuild infrastructure and houses, assist families with livelihood support to get back on their feet, and bolster the social fabric of communities. Now, six years later, 1.2 million Iraqis remain internally displaced from their communities, in an increasingly pressured post-conflict context. Climate change and bouts of political and economic stability are eroding Iraq’s fragile social contract. 

War is complex, and social implications for families (women and children) associated with extremists who have taken up arms are not easy to navigate. How do wives of men who joined ISIL and disappeared return to their damaged communities to pick up the pieces of their lives? How do their children navigate the pain of losing a parent, a home, and a community? How do you plan for a future you can no longer envision? 

“These questions have no simple answers, yet these families cannot be left behind. We cannot forget about Iraq. Through the utilization of international reintegration best practices and joint efforts to implement durable solutions, communities will reach the reconciliation and forgiveness necessary to re-build a strong social fabric,” says Auke Lootsma, UNDP Iraq Resident Representative.