Opening ceremony of the “Course on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law”.

The opening ceremony of the “Course on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law” took place on June 2nd, 2013, realized by San Remo Institute of International Humanitarian Law (IIHL) in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Iraq and UNHCR, and financed by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister for Human Rights, Dr. Abdulkharim Al Janabi, the Deputy Minister for Migration & Displacement, Dr. Al Musawi, the Ambassador of Italy, Massimo Marotti, and the Representative of UNHCR in Iraq, Claire Bourgeois.

The 2013 edition is the result of a relationship of successful collaboration between the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, the Embassy of Italy in Iraq and San Remo Institute, started in 2009 and which was joined in 2011 by the United Nationala Agency for Refugees (UNHCR).

This year the course will focus in particular on the rights of vulnerable groups, on writing skills at Human Rights Reports and on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The course is addressed to about 30 officials from various ministries (Defence, Justice, Migration, Labour and Social Affairs) and sees for the first time the participation of representatives of civil society (NGOs Iraqi 5).

The consolidated team led by Director of Staff, Gen. George Blais, and Juhani Loikkanen formed by former Lieutenant Colonel and Brigadier General Naim Ziade has been confirmed “into the chair”.