Bringing together parliamentarians from the German Bundestag with Mirza Dinnayi, who founded the House of Coexistence (HOC) in Sinjar to “unite hearts for peace”, Global Clearance Solutions put forward proposals on how to continue to support Iraq and the Yazidi people with expertise and know-how.
Left to right: Mirza Dinnayi, founder, HOC, Philipp von Michaelis, co-founder and CEO, GCS, Dr. Joe Weingarten, Member of German Parliament (SPD), Markus Grübel, Member of German Parliament (CDU), Dr. Kristian Klinck, Member of German Parliament (SPD); GCS activity in Iraq, photo courtesy Philipp Breu; FAZ 09.03.2023
Last week, members of the German Parliament (Bundestag), together with leading mine and explosive threat clearance solution provider Global Clearance Solutions, paid tribute to the work of Mirza Dinnayi, who founded the House of Coexistance (theglobalcoalition.org) in Sinjar, Iraq following a devastating massacre which took place there in 2014, robbing the community of thousands of men, women and children.
As part of their presence and activity in the region, working alongside and in partnership with international humanitarian organisations to eliminate explosive threats presented by landmines and other unexploded remnants of war, GCS became aware of the efforts of the House of Coexistence to rebuild and restore communities decimated by violence. A partnership was born, recognising that the first step to recovery is to ensure the land is safe for people to rebuild homes and communities. Over the past three years and with German support among other donors, GCS has removed mines and other remnants of war safely and sustainably.
Parliamentarians were in agreement that supporting #Iraq against the background of regional power rivalry is an important issue for Germany, which has been active in the region in recent years via a variety of foreign and security policy instruments. Earlier this year, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock visited Sinjar and reiterated Germany’s commitment to rebuilding the region.
At this moment, when expanding violent conflicts threaten communities across the world offer a painful reminder of the many challenges facing the international community, the meeting was an opportunity to honour the efforts of Dinnayi and his fellow citizens in their efforts to rebuild for the future and heal rifts in their homeland. When funds for post-conflict rehabilitation have necessarily to be shared more thinly, projects such as his, with the support of the international community and the expertise and know-how of practical solution-providers like GCS and their partners, hold the promise of a safe foundation to sow hope.