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On December 19, 2025, Heavenly Culture, World Peace,
Restoration of Light (HWPL), a UN affiliated international NGO, held an
international online forum titled “International Online Forum for the
Realization of Peace in the Middle East: Building Sustainable Peace through
Community Cooperation.
” The forum brought together former and current
officials and civil society representatives from Iraq and across the Middle East to discuss peacebuilding approaches grounded in
local realities.
Iraq has historically been a country where diverse
religions and ethnic groups have coexisted, with the 1988 Halabja massacre
remaining a critical reference point in discussions on national reconciliation,
human rights protection.
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In recent years, as Iraq has entered a post-conflict
recovery phase, cooperation among local governments, religious communities, and
civil society has gradually expanded around peace and reconciliation efforts.
HWPL planned the forum to place the experiences and perspectives of local
communities at the center of the discussion.
The official launch of the Middle East Peace
Implementation Committee was announced in the identical context. The committee
is designed as a standing platform bringing together civil society
representatives, religious leaders, and professionals from the legal and
administrative sectors across the Middle East to discuss frameworks for
embedding a culture of peace in post-conflict societies. Rather than
functioning as a one-time initiative, it aims to establish a sustainable
consultation mechanism led by regional players.
Pascal Isho Warda, former Minister of Migration and
Displacement of Iraq and currently a civil society activist, emphasized in his
remarks that “peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved through external
intervention alone, but must begin with the restoration of trust and solidarity
within local communities.”
He stressed
the importance of establishing shared standards for peace and coexistence that
move beyond the tragedies of the past.
Following the forum, HWPL announced concrete next
steps, including advancing the establishment of a Middle East Peace
Implementation Committee centered in Iraq. Plans include holding regular online
roundtables and operating issue-specific working groups with participating
leaders.
HWPL also aims to organize an offline event in Iraq
in January 2026, creating a space for civil society actors, religious leaders,
and legal professionals to engage directly. Through these follow-up actions,
HWPL seeks to build a step-by-step, sustainable framework for peace cooperation
in the Middle East.
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