The Iraqi Social Forum have taken place in Baghdad, on 26 and 28th of September. It was the first large gathering in Iraq based upon the World Social Forum Charter of Principles and it included more than 140 activities organized by hundreds of Iraqis and some international activists.

The Forum highlights were : an official opening and Sports Against Violence activities at the University of Baghdad on Thursday morning (9/26), and parallel activities in Al-Qushla and at the Baghdad Cultural Center on Friday and Saturday (9/27-28).

Solidarity activities have taken place around the world. The Extended Iraqi Social Forum started with events in Bangladesh and Pakistan on the 17th of September and will close with a week of events in Italy on the 1st-5th of October. Many international organizations connected with activists at the Iraqi Social Forum through Skype. Streaming was also available.

In their statement the organizers of the Forum said: "We believe another Iraq is possible! Our vision is to support civil society in shaping alternatives and rebuilding Iraq into a nation that respects people of all religious, sectarian, ethnic and national affiliations, a nation that promotes equal rights for all its citizens. To demonstrate our commitment to making the struggle against corruption a reality and not a mere slogan, we organized ourselves with full transparency and shared all information concerning the creation of the Forum, the first of its kind in Iraq. We believe that social services to create employment opportunities and eradicate poverty are powerful means for social transformation"

The statement, focusing on the need to address Iraqi people's needs, added: "Our vision is that nonviolence is the only means for promoting lasting social transformation and we rely exclusively on nonviolent strategies in all our struggles for change. We are committed to elevating the importance of voluntary work and have relied upon the efforts of dozens of volunteers to make the Forum a reality. We share a conviction that the young women and men of Iraq must be supported so that they can assume their places as the leaders of tomorrow and we have provided open space for youth and youth organizations to undertake these responsibilities. Growing out of our fundamental rejection of violence, displacement, and killing, we steadfastly reject all war and terrorism, and demand peace".