EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN IRAQ CENTER
1140 3rd Street NE 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20002 www.epic-usa.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: To act as a humanitarian, peacebuilding organization focused on the advancement of peace and development in Iraq through field work, education, research and advocacy.

In 2019, EPIC continued work on USAIDs SAFE RETURN project to support the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have survived severe human rights abuses many from minority communities to their homes in the Ninewa Plains and Western Ninewa. That work is part of our ongoing commitment to support the restoration of Ninewa where ISIS forcibly drove out Yazidis, Assyrians, Turkomen, Shabaks, and other Iraqi communities that are vital to the social fabric and economic life of the region. The Safe Return consortium also included EPICs long-time Iraq-based partner, the Iraq Health Access Organization (IHAO). Our work on Safe Return began in late 2018, continued throughout 2019, and concluded in early 2020. Throughout 2019, EPIC added considerable value to the Safe Return consortium. Among other accomplishments, EPIC tracked security incidents and human rights developments across Ninewa, publishing 29 Ninewa-specific security bulletins and 7 monthly Ninewa ISHM reports, including interactive maps showing the locations of the security incidents captured by our reporting. To enhance our monitoring network, EPIC recruited and trained 41 community based monitors (CBMs) to map conditions and vulnerabilities, greatly exceeding USAIDs goal of training 30 CBMs. EPIC also published interviews with leaders of Iraqs Assyrian, Shabak, and Yazidi communities. Building on those achievements and enhanced coordination and engagement with project partners, EPIC developed a comprehensive Safe Return action plan for 2020 to further enhance project-related outreach and information-sharing, participatory mapping and reporting of security risks and human rights abuses, and advocacy activities.

EPICs RESEARCH and EDUCATION PROGRAM includes our Iraq Matters podcast with in-depth interviews of knowledgeable guests and thoughtful commentary on developments in Iraq; our weekly Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor (ISHM) to inform public policy on Iraqs ongoing security, recovery and humanitarian needs; our internship program offering university undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to spend a semester researching and writing for EPIC; our online presence educating concerned citizens about the urgent humanitarian and protection needs of vulnerable populations in Iraq, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees, women and children, and survivors of atrocities and other severe human rights violations; and other communications and public outreach to enhance understanding about the people and cultures of Iraq, the peace and development needs of the country, and the part that we can all play to help make a difference. In 2019, the EPIC team produced and published groundbreaking interviews, articles, and analyses, including our analysis Checking Iranian Power in Iraq published by the U.S. national security policy website War on the Rocks; our Summer is Here analysis on the rising discontent of residents in Basra and the governments failure to fight corruption and provide sufficient electricity and clean water; a two-part interview with Dr. Benedict Robin-DCruz of the London School of Economics Middle East Centre on understanding the changing nature of Shia politics and conflict in Southern Iraq; and 46 weekly ISHM reports. Also in 2019, EPIC produced one of our most downloaded episodes of the Iraq Matters podcast. Featuring Joel Wing of Musings on Iraq and EPICs lead research analyst Omar al-Nidawi, the episode examined the history of the Iran-Iraq War and its ensuring impact on the region. As with previous years, EPICs reporting and analysis provided policymakers, scholars, aid workers, journalists, and other Iraq watchers with a deeper understanding of Iraq, highlighting important developments and trends impacting the people of Iraq and the region, often with direct policy implications for the U.S. and international community.

EPICs PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS and ADVOCACY PROGRAM works to improve the quality of information and policy options on Iraq being considered by U.S. policy-makers and other key decision makers. Through our website and regular communications to our extensive network of e-mail subscribers and social media followers across the country, EPIC is campaigning to strengthen U.S. and international support for Iraqs recovery from ISIS and years of war; encouraging policy makers to articulate a clear, long-term strategy for advancing Iraqs peace and development, including efforts to support and improve peace-building, human rights protections, and good governance; and focusing attention on the plight of internally displaced Iraqis, genocide survivors, and other vulnerable populations in Iraq. Starting in October 2019, mass protests broke out in Baghdad and other major cities in Iraq demanding immediate democratic reforms to fight corruption, end human rights violations, create jobs, and improve governance and the delivery of public services. Iraqi militias and security forces responded with excessive force, killing hundreds. Militias also responded with a campaign of intimidation against protest organizers and activists. As a result, in the final quarter of 2019, the EPIC team began focusing more time and resources on advocating for urgently needed reforms in Iraq. EPIC is pressing the U.S. and international community to do more to condemn the violence, defend the rights of the protesters, aid of injured protesters, and support the calls for government reform and free and fair elections. EPIC continues to actively participate in InterActions Iraq/Syria working group to coordinate research, public awareness raising, and advocacy among like-minded non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In 2019, EPIC and the working group responded to Iraqs ongoing needs for recovery and human security, and worked to build support for a more effective U.S. and international humanitarian response.

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202013219349319566_public.xml