UOD– October 6, 2025 | University Press Office (UNPO) – The University of Duhok (UOD), in partnership with TU Dortmund University, successfully organized a two-day specialized workshop on Participatory Planning and Development, held on September 29–30, 2025 at the College of City and Regional Planning. The workshop brought together camp managers and coordinators from across Duhok Governorate, under the coordination of the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF), which oversees all IDP and refugee camps in the governorate. This specialized workshop is part of a Joint Project titled “Promoting & Strengthening Participation in the Kurdistan Region” between the College of City and Regional Planning, UOD and TU Dortmund University, sponsored by DAAD, which started on 1/3/2022 and is planned to continue until 31/12/2025.

Focused Capacity-Building for Camp Managers

The workshop was designed to strengthen the skills and knowledge of camp managers and coordinators, equipping them with participatory tools and inclusive planning approaches to address the pressing challenges in camp management. Through interactive sessions, participants explored strategies to enhance stakeholder engagement, improve service delivery, and foster collaboration between camp administrations, humanitarian actors, and residents.

The program was led under the supervision of Dr. Basheer Ahmed Mohammed Saeed, Head of the Department of Spatial Planning at UOD, and Dr. Johannes Lückenkötter, Project Coordinator from TU Dortmund University. Valuable support was also provided by Dr. Mohammed Alaulddin Aqiqi, Dr. Aihan Jamal Taha, Mr. Salah Hasan Khudeeda, Mr. Saman Fakhradin Abdulkareem, Mr. Baravan Faisal Abduljabbar, Mr. Aland Kamal Othman, Ms. Hozan Fawzi Mohammed Saleem, and Ms. Hadeel Ibrahim Yazdeen.

Interactive Sessions
The sessions combined theory, dialogue, and practice, ensuring that participants engaged with real-life scenarios relevant to their work. Training components included:

• Benefits and Challenges of Participation – understanding opportunities and risks of participatory approaches in camp settings.
• Roleplay on Real Case Problems – participants analyzed and acted out challenges they currently face, exploring collective problem-solving strategies.
• Challenges in the Camps – group discussions highlighted pressing issues in service delivery, social cohesion, and coordination.
• Designing a Participatory Planning Process – a step-by-step framework where participants selected a real issue and worked through:
  1. Defining a topic or problem
  2. Setting participation objectives
  3. Identifying tangible results
  4. Conducting a stakeholder analysis

Looking Ahead

More workshops and collaborative events are scheduled through the remainder of 2025, with the project concluding at the end of the year. The partnership aims to produce lasting institutional change through knowledge-sharing and co-designed planning strategies, and to establish an official Center for Participatory Planning and Development in UOD.

Alignment with the UOD Strategic Plan

• The initiative supports the University of Duhok’s Strategic Plan (2023–2030), particularly its focus on community engagement, capacity development, and international collaboration.
  
  
• By empowering camp managers and promoting participatory planning, UOD contributes directly to sustainable development across the Kurdistan Region.
  
  
• The partnership with TU Dortmund University reflects UOD’s commitment to linking academic expertise with real-world challenges.
  
  
• Through knowledge-sharing and inclusive approaches, UOD strengthens its position as a regional leader in applied research, social responsibility, and sustainable growth.
  
  
• The initiative aligns fully with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reinforcing UOD’s role in advancing education-driven transformation and resilience.

For more information on UOD’s strategic initiatives and upcoming projects, visit: UOD Highlights

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MEDIA COVERAGE FOR THIS EVENT

University Press Office – October 4, 2025
Reported by: Fatima Mahmood Ali, Aland Kamal Othman
Photography by: Aland Kamal Othman, Hozan Fawzi Mohammed Saleem

The News Keywords

• Participatory Planning
• Public Participation
• TU Dortmund
• DAAD Projects in Iraq
• Sustainable Development Kurdistan Region
• Stakeholder Engagement