FYF Country Director Hewan Omer recently participated in The Windsor Dialogue 2026, an annual dialogue on religious freedom held in the UK, which this year focused on Keeping the Faith: Finding Lessons on Diaspora Sustainability..
The Fair Handeln Messe, held from 9-12 April in Stuttgart, brought together international organizations, policymakers, and civil society actors to spotlight ethical trade and sustainable development. FYF was invited to take part through its longstanding partnership with the Stiftung Entwicklungs-Zusammenarbeit Baden-Württemberg (SEZ).
In Khanke and surrounding areas, many Yezidi women and girls continue to face significant barriers to education, employment, and economic
FYF and the UK Parliament’s APPG on Women, Peace, and Security, convened a meeting at the UK Parliament to advance discussions on justice and accountability for crimes committed against Yezidis.
A landmark ruling marks the first time a French court has formally recognized the genocide committed against Yezidis. The court has found Sabri Essid, a French jihadist and former high-official of the Islamic State (ISIS) guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. This trial was held in absentia, as Sabri Essid is presumed dead in Syria, though not confirmed.
Sabri Essid, also known as Abou Dojanah al-Faransi, was a central figure in the French jihadist movement. He is accused of having committed, between August 2014 and throughout 2016, serious bodily or mental harm constituting genocide, as well as acts of enslavement, imprisonment, torture, rape, persecution and other inhuman acts constituting crimes against humanity, and of complicity in these crimes, against Yazidi women and children in Syria.
FYF proudly marked the closure of the English Access Program in Sheikhan, celebrating the achievements of 122 young students who completed an intensive journey of learning, growth, and community engagement. Implemented with the generous support of the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil, the program aimed to equip youth aged 13–16 from vulnerable IDP and host communities with the skills they need to shape brighter futures.
FYF and Baghdad Women Association jointly facilitated a cohort meeting, bringing together more than 50 Changemakers from minority communities across Sharya, Sheikhan, Khanke, and Qaraqosh to connect, strengthen collaboration, and exchange advocacy strategies and approaches.
Amnesty International Germany released a unique and comprehensive publication documenting the world’s first criminal trial addressing the ISIS genocide against Yezidis. The report marks the third anniversary of the Deutscher Bundestag’s recognition, on 19 January 2023, of ISIS crimes against Yezidis as genocide.
FYF Executive Director Pari Ibrahim participated in two events at the IRF Summit in Washington this year. She was a featured speaker at a side event entitled, “Syria at a Crossroads ..
FYF’s Justice Manager, Waheeda Omer, participated as a panelist in “Survivors’ Dialogue on Truth, Trauma and Trial,” hosted by Legal Action Worldwide at the House of Europe, The Hague ..
