Letter to readers

Dear friends of the Yazidi Cause and minorities in Sinjar,

Minority communities in Sinjar are still living every day the pervasive long-term effects of genocide and war crimes committed by Da’esh in Sinjar, with the breakdown of security, threatened sovereignty, and fragile rule of law blocking any return home. 

This position paper represents a two-part policy paper series detailing critical challenges that require urgent multi-stakeholder action. The featured priorities and recommendations have been written to serve as an actionable policy manual during the formation period of the new Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government under Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. The Parliament of Iraq and the Parliament of Kurdistan both have the critical responsibility of enabling rule and enforcement of law. The international community, especially humanitarian agencies and donor partners to communities in Sinjar, are necessary drivers to bring accountability to policy and action. To ensure transparent self-determination and diverse representation of all communities that call Sinjar home, it is instrumental that any new policies, legislation, and actionable decisions be made with the direct and regular consultation of all minority groups.

Specifically, this paper presents and recommends immediate solutions to strengthening security in Sinjar. Until security is resolved, socio-economic recovery and development in Sinjar is significantly challenged. Minority communities continue to serve their life terms in internally displaced person (IDP) camps with hundreds of others who have quit on both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Sinjar is being left behind. 

We count on the goodwill and agility of all friends of minorities and communities to close this insecure chapter for Sinjar together.

With our deepest respects,