Now, with UN support, Mosul has risen from the ashes of war and its historic monuments which had been reduced to rubble, dot the skyline once again.
Girls at a primary school in west Mosul, Iraq. (file)
By 2021, damaged or levelled schools were being rebuilt, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported psychosocial training activities for teachers, including at Al Huda Primary School in west Mosul.
UNESCO trained over 5,000 educators and parents in preventing violent extremism, supporting more than 120,000 students.
Moslawis are now free to enjoy their culture and passions, from music to sports, like the Mosul Girls Football Club, founded in 2021 by the Sustainable Peace Foundation with UN migration agency (IOM) support.
In helping to revive the “spirit” of Mosul, UNESCO has demonstrated that culture can play an essential role in post-conflict reconstruction and the promotion of peace.