Dear friends of FYF,

Every March, we celebrate International Women's Day. As we took time to celebrate our committed team of women, we continue to forge ahead with the important work we do every single day.

Please read on for our most current news!

On March 6th, our Iraq Country Director, Heywan Omer, and FYF Lawyer, Saood Ahmed, joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Iraq roundtable in Baghdad to discuss the Yezidi Survivors’ Law, codified in March of 2021. Challenges to and possibilities for implementation, as well as other issues were discussed. FYF also met with Saib Khidir, the Yezidi Member of Parliament in Baghdad, to discuss these and other matters.

FYF Executive Director, Pari Ibrahim, addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 15th. The topic of this side session was The Expendable and Targeted Communities: Religious or Belief Minorities at Risk. During the session, Pari addressed the ongoing Turkish airstrikes on the Sinjar region of Iraq, seven within a span of just six months. She also focused on the Yezidi Survivors Law, as well as the ongoing priorities for Yezidi recovery and empowerment. 

This past week, Pari was invited to address the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Freedom of Religious Belief, a cross-party group formed by MPs and Members of the House of Lords. She noted the paltry number of Yezidis resettled in the United Kingdom - 52 since the Yezidi Genocide began in 2014. Pari also addressed two key issues:

1. The value of global leaders making meaningful commitments to resettle the most vulnerable members of persecuted minorities, and
2. The importance of justice and accountability in the aftermath of mass atrocities, as seen in the Yezidi Genocide.