Opening Letter

Dear friends of the Yazidi Cause, 



The seven-year mark since the onset of genocide by Da’esh is upon us. May we remember and honor the memories of the thousands of civilians who perished and who we are still missing dearly. 

Importantly, we must look forward and continue to work hand in hand to enable a sustainable and safer future for all minority communities in Iraq and the KRI.

We are grateful to have all of you - global friends of the Yazidi Cause - with us in these two days. Our commemoration is dedicated to deeply-needed blunt and action-focused keynotes, plenaries, and panels, bringing together the enormity and complexities of the Yazidi Cause. We welcome the official patronage of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al- Kadhimi on this occasion along with our communities and survivors, government officials, foreign representatives and diplomatic emissaries in Baghdad and Erbil, local and international civil society representatives, and leaders of religious communities on this August 2nd and 3rd, 2021. 

Our two-day gathering will be hosted on Zoom and shared online on all Yazda social channels, which have over 100,000 followers from around the world. 

Genocide against the Yazidi people in Iraq began on the 3rd of August, 2014, with organized military and community extermination efforts by Da’esh, resulting in acts of war and genocide including, mass crimes, massacres, systematic abductions, enslavement of women and children, forced conversion, and forced displacement of thousands of our people. Seven years later, the genocide continues with more than 2,900 Yazidis still missing in captivity, over 200,000 IDPs and refugees unable to return to their homes in Sinjar and the Nineveh Plains, and a destroyed homeland that continues to face political, security, economic, and social uncertainties. 

Thank you for being with us in this most difficult time. Your solidarity, actions, and diplomacy are needed like never before. 

In the name of peace for our Middle East, With our deepest respects,