United Nations, New York, USA - The KRG Representation to the United States on Monday co-hosted the screening of a documentary film about the Yezidi genocide at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The screening of One Family vs ISIS was co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN. The documentary is the work of the Kurdistan Memory Programme (KMP), a project that documents through film and other media the testimony of eyewitnesses to momentous events in Kurdistan’s recent history.

KRG Representative Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman opened the evening by thanking the Czech Mission and welcoming the opportunity to screen this moving film at the UN. She also thanked the United States and all members of the Coalition to defeat ISIS for their support to the Peshmerga and to the displaced communities sheltering in Kurdistan Region.

In his remarks, Miroslav Klima, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic, underscored the importance of telling the story of those persecuted by ISIS.

Germany’s Permanrnt Representative to the UN Christoph Heusgen highlighted the need for justice and accountability for the crimes committed by ISIS, while Thomas Lynch, senior advisor to the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for ISIL Crimes, announced the team’s plan to exhume a mass grave in Sinjar in the coming weeks.

Gwynne Roberts, founder of KMP and director of the film, highlighted Kurdistan’s openness and generosity in accepting nearly 2million refugees and displaced people at a time when its economy was under immense pressure. He also spoke of the ongoing humanitarian needs of the hundreds of thousands of displaced and traumatized minorities. Mr Roberts urged the audience to remember that those featured in his documentary are real people who have endured the unimaginable.

Following the screening, Mr Roberts took questions from Majeed Gly, Rudaw News Network’s UN Correspondent. Rudaw sponsored the event.