By successfully engaging stakeholders who want change in Iraq, EVER has shown that—even during ongoing conflict—the energies of CSOs, local leaders and citizens can be harnessed to successfully engage in conflict resolution efforts aimed at reducing electoral violence. Judging by the reactions from project participants in Iraq, there is a groundswell of local support, even from Shiite religious leaders and Sunni tribesmen critical of the Western-sponsored political process.

Two key initiatives drive EVER’s success. The first is using community surveys and local engagement to shape the design and implementation of Iraqi-led peace-building activities. For example, IFES staff conducted discussions with key stakeholders (local community and political leaders, religious figures, election commissioners, etc.) in communities throughout Iraq prior to launching project activities. While such a bottom-up strategy is not new, election violence monitoring and mitigation in a war zone requires pioneering strategies given that those involved gauge their personal safety on a daily, if not an hourly, basis.

Creating opportunities for local stakeholders—including formal and informal leaders—to meet and exchange perspectives in “bridge-building workshops” is a hallmark of the EVER program. In many cases, communities had no access to or knowledge of those involved in the political process. These workshops forge consensus, reconciliation and peace-building among local actors. Over time, they are creating greater indigenous ownership of conflict-resolution initiatives and helping build stakeholders’ understanding of the dynamics of election violence They also provide a venue for locals to give input about “best practices” for project implementation.

In the absence of baseline data, it is not possible to measure the reduction of election-related violence resulting from these bridge-building workshops. What can be measured is stakeholders’ increased awareness of the nature, perpetrators and frequency of election-related violence, and the strength of grassroots coalitions as an avenue to exercise moral leverage to reduce violence.

In its second key initiative, EVER focuses on building networks that can extend the project’s impact by transferring knowledge between communities within or across governorates. As local partners involved in the initial bridge-building activities increased in number and diversity, communication and—in certain areas—coordination evolved naturally among them. In May 2005, 75 CSOs from 18 governorates formed the Iraq Without Violence network (IWV) with IFES’ support. The IWV registered as an NGO with the Iraqi government in September and received training from EVER in NGO and financial management, strategic planning, conflict resolution and election violence monitoring. By Iraq’s October 15 referendum, the IWV had expanded to 84 members and was monitoring election-related violence throughout Iraq. Several days following the referendum, it issued its first election violence report to local and international media organizations. During the December legislative elections, EVER and IWV jointly fielded some 1,000 monitors Iraq-wide during the four-day period that encompassed all voting (including special needs voting). Monitoring was followed by an IWV “lessons learned” workshop series, preparation of an election report, a media release and a public press conference.

John Moore is IFES’ Head of Field Office in Baghdad.