The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has long functioned as a space of refuge, transit, and return, shaped by protracted conflict, forced displacement, and regional instability. Although often portrayed as a region characterised by coexistence and relative security, the reality is marked by unequal access to justice, gender-based inequalities, fragile legal protections, and emerging challenges such as irregular migration. Designed by Dr. Jiyar Aghapouri and Sangar Salih from the American University of Kurdistan, alongside Dileen Sardar Zuhdi from the University of Duhok, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to place the experience of the Kurdistan Region in dialogue with the historical and contemporary realities of Kurdish communities in Turkey—thus moving beyond a single case study discussion to enable a critical examination of memory, displacement, return, coexistence, and justice across Kurdish communities that transcend borders. Rooted in the Centre for Peace and Human Security's vision of human security and peacebuilding, the workshop centres lived experience, institutional practice, and the negotiation of social cohesion at the community level, rather than abstract peace models. The workshop's objectives include: examining the social, legal, and gendered consequences of forced displacement, return, and irregular migration in the Kurdistan Region; investigating how religious freedom and coexistence are practiced, regulated, and negotiated within displacement-affected societies; analysing the role of gender justice and minority rights in sustaining long-term social peace; and creating a cross-border space for reflection that brings together the experiences of Kurdish communities in the Kurdistan Region and Turkey.
Language: Kurdish (Kurmanji & Sorani) and English
Participation: Open to all; participation is especially encouraged for researchers, university students, policymakers, and community activists.
Capacity: 30 people
X: @cphs_auk
Web: https://auk.edu.krd/centers-and-research/center-for-peace-and-human-security