The Ottawa-born singer will depart Monday and be part of a four-person delegation visiting hospitals, schools, orphanages and encampments for those displaced by the fighting. His role will be strictly that of observer rather than performer, although he will be bringing his guitar.
The delegation will be led by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit and include Philadelphia-based photojournalist Linda Panetta and physician's assistant Johanna Berrigan.
The two-week trip is being organized by the American Friends Service Committee, based in Philadelphia.
With the exception of Cockburn, the group visited Iraq just before war broke out last March. They intend to revisit many of the same areas, speaking with religious leaders and community groups to see how the fighting has affected citizens.
"The calamitous situation faced by Iraqis is a human event that needs to be understood by all of us," Cockburn, who currently lives in Montreal, said in a statement.
"As a songwriter, it goes with the job to bear witness to the human events. As a concerned citizen, I welcome a unique opportunity to gain some of that understanding which I hope to share with others."
