In partnership with our Yazidi friends
Since 2015, The Zovighian Partnership has worked hand-in-hand with our partner,
Yazda, to deliver a deep impact portfolio of humanitarian and community development projects for the global Yazidi community.
Yazda
is a global and
multi-national organization, established to urgently respond to the Yazidi Genocide that was instigated by
Da’esh
in 2014.
Together, we have co-created and funded pilots and projects that are profoundly survivor-centered and community-centric in design and implementation. This dedicated page honors our long-term alliance of solidarity with Yazda and the Yazidi community.
DIPLOMACY and ADVOCACY SINCE THE ONSET OF THE GENOCIDE AGAINST THE YAZIDIs
With the growing complexities of the ongoing Yazidi Genocide, diplomacy and advocacy have never been so time-critical. We stand committed to working closely with the Yazidi people to create advocacy assets, enforce momentum, and strengthen the global community of friends for the Yazidi Cause.
Photo by © 2022 Mohamad Chreyteh / The Zovighian Partnership
Directed by Mohamad Chreyteh, "This is still genocide" is a Yazidi-led short documentary commissioned, funded, and co-produced by Lynn Zovighian and The Zovighian Partnership. It investigates the precarious situation in Sinjar today, which used to be home to 550,000 Yazidis before the genocide perpetrated by Da'esh began on August 3, 2014. On camera, survivors share their ongoing fight against community extermination. Will the world listen and act?
Our friendship and partnership with
Yazda began in June 2015, when the organization was being incubated in the United States before hitting the ground in Iraq. Since, we have achieved multiple milestones in our diplomacy journey together, including:
Co-authoring and publishing policy and research papers on the Yazidi Cause to continue contributing to global literature to support advocacy efforts with critical data and insights for local community members and the international community.
Serving as master of ceremonies for the ninth annual commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide, organized as a public conference with community survivors, international diplomats and agencies, and activists
Co-hosting and sponsoring the eighth annual commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide, organized as a protest sit-in against inaction with community members, international diplomats and agencies, and activists
Commissioning, funding, and co-producing the first Yazidi-led short documentary to highlight the chronic suffering of Yazidis in Sinjar today. This documentary is a Yazidi public advocacy asset for Yazidi community organizations and members to leverage to further global awareness. Its objective is to call out and end the policy of inaction in Sinjar
Co-hosting and sponsoring the seventh annual commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide, in attendance with committee members, government leaders, and international humanitarian agencies
Curating, designing, and developing the new brand identity and website of Yazda, featuring the vision, mission, advocacy efforts, and projects of the organization since its establishment
Co-hosting and sponsoring the first convening of the Yazidi community leadership since the first genocidal atrocities committed by Da'esh, inaugurated with the blessings of the late Baba Sheikh
Co-authoring and publishing strategic reports and statements on the Yazidi Cause to build up the global literature on primordial advocacy areas of focus and bring data to the complexities of the cause
Supporting the annual commemoration events marking the fifth year of the Yazidi Genocide, with the presence of multiple donor governments, national leaders, and the diplomatic corps in Iraq
Co-hosting and sponsoring the annual commemoration events marking the sixth year of the Yazidi Genocide, under the patronage of the Iraqi Presidency with multiple governments and first-time representatives from the Arab World
Strategizing on and preparing for advocacy and diplomacy sessions and efforts with international and national legislative bodies, international agencies, humanitarian aid agencies, and activists for the cause
Supporting the publication efforts of key policy documentation for the various dimensions of the Yazidi Cause, from genocide documentation with the mass graves, to the situation of the IDP camps
Facilitating media relations, public narrative management, and strategic communications of the Yazidi Cause in the face of the regional and global press to strengthen the visibility and relevance of the cause
Financing with initial seed capital high-potential advocacy and community projects led by Yazda, such as mobile medical clinics, spiritual pilgrimages, intangible cultural asset protection of Yazidi poetry, and proposal development
Studying the underlying root calls for genocide in the fatwas of Da'esh and presenting a new public narrative on the Yazidi Cause, presenting the realities of community extermination and genocide
Equipping the Yazda team with funding and access to donors to fund genocide documentation, capacity-building of data management, and administrative capacity required to swiftly grow
Towards a sustainable future for Yazidis in Iraq and KRI
We are honored to present select speeches with words of deep solidarity and commitment to the Yazidi people and minority groups of Iraq on the occasion of the of the
Ninth Annual Commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide that was hosted on August 2, 2023. Speeches are available on the
Rudaw and
Ezidi24 Facebook Pages.
Sinjar: No will, no way
We are honored to present an anthology of the
documented speeches
with words of deep solidarity and commitment to the Yazidi people and minority groups of Iraq on the occasion of the virtual protest sit-in of the
Eighth Annual Commemoration
of the Yazidi Genocide that was hosted on August 1, 2022. All speeches are available on the
Yazda YouTube channel.
Keeping the pressure: Assuring a sustainable future for Sinjar
We are honored to present an anthology of the
documented
speeches
with words of deep solidarity and commitment to the Yazidi people and minority groups of Iraq on the occasion of the
Seventh Annual Commemoration
of the Yazidi Genocide that was hosted on August 2-3, 2021. All speeches are available on the
Yazda YouTube channel.
Refusing to be silent: Loud voices against genocide
We are honored to present an anthology of the
documented speeches
with words of deep solidarity and commitment to the Yazidi people and minority groups of Iraq on the occasion of the
Sixth Annual Commemoration
of the Yazidi Genocide that was hosted on August 2-3, 2020. All speeches are available on the
Yazda YouTube channel.
RESEARCH and PUBLICATIONS,
In 2018, Yazda and ZP decided to further our partnership together by embarking in strategic research and publications. We make it a point to publish policy papers and reports, as well as expert interviews and opinion pieces to engage global and national stakeholders.
Adopt a Revolution — Germany
August 20, 2023
In an interview with Adopt a Revolution, ZP Co-founder and Managing Director Lynn Zovighian spoke about the ongoing struggles that the Yazidi people continue to face nine years into genocide. She emphasized the need for all stakeholders to enable a safe and sustainable return to Sinjar by addressing immediate and long-term needs, all of which must be co-defined and co-implemented with survivors, including redefining the Sinjar Agreement, safety and security, key services, and survivors support.
An-Nahar — Beirut, Lebanon
August 5, 2023
In an opinion piece published in Annahar for the ninth annual commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide, ZP Co-founder and and Managing Director Lynn Zovighian analyzes the failings of the implementation of the Sinjar Agreement and the risks of community extermination amidst political inaction. She calls out the the harms of inaction in international and regional diplomacy and calls for Middle Eastern leaders to step up to protect the Yazidi people from growing hate speech and ongoing insecurity by illicit armed groups under the guise of the Muslim faith.
Isam Fares Institute (IFI) — Beirut, Lebanon
December 9, 2022
ZP Co-founder and MD Lynn Zovighian moderated a session at the “Memory and Justice: Remembrance in the Aftermath of Political Violence” conference hosted by AGBU Lebanon in partnership with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at AUB and the Lepsiushaus Potsdam. The panel welcomed experts who shared global case studies on archival and documentation practices for survivors and communities seeking justice against crimes of collective violence and genocide.
Georgetown University — Washington, D.C.
November 30, 2022
In a special interview with Katherine Hawes, a Georgetown University student, ZP Co-founder and Managing Director Lynn Zovighian explains why ZP funded and co-produced “This is still genocide”: “So, why is this important? Because if we don’t take care of this, if we do not resolve this, if we do not drive justice and accountability, this will happen again.”
Georgetown University — Washington, D.C.
November 30, 2022
This is still genocide” documentary director Mohamad Chreyteh talks about integrating survivor voices in Sinjar in a special interview: “This documentary was originally seen as a kind of protest against the current situation, against the lack of action towards the #Yazidi community and the lower levels of funding that are now being given to the community.”
USCIRF — Washington D.C., USA
November 4, 2022
In the midst of the ongoing Yazidi Genocide, ZP Co-founder and MD Lynn Zovighian was interviewed by Susan Bishai, Policy Analyst at the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). She discusses the complexities the Yazidi people and the Sinjar region continue to face, and the requirements needed to address and end genocide. Highlighting the importance of the inclusion of Yazidi voices in all advocacy and diplomacy plans, she presents three very urgent policy recommendations to the US Government to stabilize Sinjar.
The Zovighian Partnership & Yazda joint press release — Beirut, Lebanon & Sinjar, KRI
August 14,
2022
In a survivor-led report written by co-authors Natia Navrouzov and Lynn Zovighian with members of the Yazda Yazidi Survivors Network (YSN), Yazidi survivors call upon national and international governments to support their demands for justice and accountability, beyond just recognizing the Yazidi Genocide.
Read the full report here.
Wilson Center — Washington D.C., USA
August 3, 2022
In a contribution to the Wilson Center Middle East Women’s Initiative Enheduanna Blog, ZP Co-founder and Managing Director Lynn Zovighian presents a call for action against global Islamophobia that continues to weaken the diplomatic stage. She writes, “the global appropriation and defiling of the Muslim religion needs to be acknowledged and unbundled” to enable the Yazidi people to heal and safely integrate in Iraq and the Middle East.
Newsweek — Sinjar, KRI
July 29, 2022
On the occasion of the Eighth Annual Commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide, ZP Co-founder and Managing Director Lynn Zovighian co-authored with former congressmen Frank R. Wolf an opinion piece published in Newsweek. They share the story of how Yazidi survivors have endured “episodes of enslavement from sexual trafficking as a weapon of genocide inflicted by perverted, power-starved terrorists to forced displacement in an unhygienic, unsafe, and unsustainable camps.”
Baghdad, Iraq
September 9,
2021
This collated documentation presents the speeches of keynote speakers, moderators, and panelists at the Seventh Annual Commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide hosted on August 2-3, 2021. The methodology section details the data governance and protocols used to produce this document.
An-Nahar — Beirut, Lebanon
August 22, 2021
In her column published in An-Nahar, ZP Co-founder and Managing Director, Lynn Zovighian presents the consequences of genocide by Da’esh against the Yazidi community. She calls out the harms due to inaction and delays by the international community.
Challenges & solutions for
administration, security, safe return, and justice: Voices of the
Yazidi community
Sinjar, KRG, Iraq
October 20,
2020
This collated documentation presents the speeches of keynote speakers, moderators, and panelists at the first Yazidi Leadership Roundtable, hosted on September 7, 2020. The methodology section details the data governance and protocols used to produce this document.
Baghdad, Iraq
September 15, 2020
This collated documentation presents the speeches of keynote speakers, moderators, and panelists at the Sixth Annual Commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide hosted on August 2-3, 2020. The methodology section details the data governance and protocols used to produce this document.
InsideOver — Rome, Italy
January 20, 2020
In the midst of the ongoing Yazidi Genocide by Da'esh and limited international humanitarian action, Lynn Zovighian argues that Islamic theology was manipulated and abused by Da'esh when the Sinjar military invasion was first strategized in 2014. Today, over 3,000 Yazidis are still missing and over 450,000 are displaced.
An-Nahar English — Beirut, Lebanon
August 5, 2019
Returning from Baghdad, Iraq, Lynn Zovighian shares in her Annahar column the latest challenges facing the Yazidis and other minority communities following the retreat of Da'esh. She describes the growing complexities and the deficit of notable humanitarian and judicial action since the start of the Yazidi Genocide.
Born out of genocide, but not without family: The plight of Yazidi children under
Da'esh occupation
An-Nahar English — Beirut, Lebanon
May 15, 2019
Amidst the global media focus on the children of Yazidi women who were impregnated by Da'esh militants as a means of genocide against the Yazidi people, Lynn Zovighian dedicates this column to the human rights and human potential of these children. She also sheds light on the legal complexities to protect and enable these children to grow.
An-Nahar English — Beirut, Lebanon
August 5, 2018
For the first time, Lynn Zovighian publishes how she first accertained that Da'esh was committing genocide against the Yazidi people, at a time when the international media only spoke of their actions as an invasion in Sinjar. In her column, she details how she worked with her Yazidi friends at Yazda to bring this to light in 2015.
When it comes to genocide, the judicial process and the many journeys of and towards justice are not the same thing.
- Lynn Zovighian, from
The Yazidi Genocide: Justice beyond the judiciary process
PILOTS and PROJECTS,
CO-DESIGNED WITH and MANAGED BY YAZIDI COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
Together with Yazda, we have co-designed and co-delivered a growing cluster of peace-building initiatives to address the many complexities of the Yazidi Cause. Over the
last five years, we have served first-time pilots either to prove concept or to activate humanitarian spaces where other donor institutions and governments have not been best fit to step in.
15 contemporary Yazidi poets are published in first-time compilation of Yazidi Genocide poetry as part of collective community healing initiative
Dohuk, Iraq
July 28, 2018
Yazda and The Zovighian Partnership organized for the printing and distribution of hundreds of poetry books to the Yazidi community in the
IDP camps in the KRG to acknowledge and debate the deep human challenges of genocide.
Medical pop-up program, Little Hakeem, takes care of Yazidi children with significant medical challenges, bringing them for surgeries to Lebanon
Dohuk, Iraq & Beirut, Lebanon
2016-2017
With a medical committee and team of best-in-class surgeons, The Zovighian Partnership supported the capacity-building of the mobile and medical clinics of Yazda, while also welcoming little Yazidi patients to Beirut for emergency surgeries.
Yazda and The Zovighian Partnership launch spiritual pilgrimage and rehabilitation program with Baba Sheikh for Yazidi women and girls escaping
Da'esh
Lalish, Iraq
July 28, 2015
Serving as rites of passages, we hosted two spiritual pilgrimages to welcome escapees back into the Yazidi community with a deeply symbolic blessing from Baba Sheikh before re-joining their families in the IDP camps.