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Dear Friends,
In this issue, we would like to highlight
some of the Iraq Foundation's (IF) recent
activities. During February, IF has worked
hard to promote its mission
throughout Iraq. Executive Director Rend
Al-Rahim participated in a public briefing on
Iraq at the US Institute of Peace as well as
spoke at the Camden Conference in February.
Promoting IF's humanitarian mission, IF staff
in Baghdad donated vital goods to the Rami
Center for Autistic and Handicapped
Children. Working to promote human rights
and build a strong and
lasting civil society, IF staff hosted and
participated in several workshops throughout
the month, aimed at curbing corruption,
promoting the rights of women and families,
and institutionalizing basic human rights.
IF's Human
Rights Defenders
Network (HRDN) also released its twelfth
electronic
newsletter, which reports on human rights
conditions in Iraq.
As always, should you have any questions
about our activities, please do not hesitate
to contact us.
Sincerely,
Joseph Sandor
Communication Officer
Iraq Foundation
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IF in the Media |
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Executive Director holds Public Briefing
on Iraq with Daniel P. Serwer at the US
Institute of Pease
On February 21st, IF's Executive Director,
Rend Al-Rahim, spoke at a public briefing,
entitled "Iraq: Are Politics Beginning to
Move?" During this public event hosted at
the US Institute of Peace, Ms. Al-Rahim
discussed the political challenges of the
Iraqi Parliament, framed within the larger
context
of a changing Iraqi political landscape.
Joined by Daniel P. Serwer, Vice President of
Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations
at USIP, and Jason Gluck, Rule of Law Advisor
at USIP, Ms. Al-Rahim shared her insight into
Iraqi politics and perspectives gained from
her recent travels in January to Baghdad and
meetings with political stakeholders in the
country. This public briefing was also
broadcast on C-Span.
Listen
to the briefing...
Executive Director, Rend Al-Rahim, Speaks
at the Camden Conference
Ms. Rend Al-Rahim spoke at the 21st Annual
Camden Conference, Religion as a Force in World
Affairs, which took place in Camden, Maine
from February 22-24. The Conference explored the
role of religion as a potent influence upon
the formation and the implementation of foreign
policy. Ms. Al-Rahim presented a talk on the
relationship between Sunni and Shia Muslims
across the Middle East. Held each February
since 1988, The Camden Conference provides an
opportunity for experts and interested
individuals to share concerns and expertise on a
range of global issues.
Click
here to learn more about the Camden
Conference...
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Helping Iraqi Children Update |
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IF Donates to the Rami Center for Autistic
Children
As part of our on-going humanitarian
initiative, Helping Iraqi Children, every
step of the
way, the Iraq Foundation is proud to announce
that to date we have donated to 7
organizations throughout Iraq, helping over
742 children! On February 14th, IF donated
$608 dollar to the Rami
Center for Autistic and Handicapped Children,
which
is located in Baghdad and home to 47 autistic
and handicapped orphans. Thanks to the help
and generosity of individuals and
organizations who participated in last years
fundraising,
IF raised $19,000, including funds from the
Workers of St. Albans to benefit orphaned
children in Sinjar. IF is using these funds
to supply vital aid and equipment to
organizations across Iraq. We are hopeful
that within the near future we will conclude
this round of distribution by delivering to
Al-Kut and Kirkur. Unfortunately, the security
situation on the ground has prevented
distribution to these two cities, but we have
reserved funds to serve the needs of Iraqi
children in these communities.
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IF Holds 2 Anti-Corruption Workshops in Iraq |
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IF held two workshops in Iraq as part of the
Anti-Corruption and Transparency Project
(ACT). On February 13 2008, IF held a
workshop in Ba'kuba, which was the first
workshop
held in the volatile Diyala province in the
last two years. IF promoted ACT's
Accountability Education Platform, which aims
to inform Iraqis about corruption and the
negative ripple-effect corruption has on the
health of the nation. With over 75
individuals participating, including the
governor, the police commander, the military
operations commander, the US commander for
the area, the heads of government offices and a
considerable number of government employees
and NGO representatives, this was a highly
successful endeavor, which produced many
recommendations on improving the transparency in
Iraqi politics and fighting corruption.
The second workshop, which was held on
February 21 2008, took place in the Najaf
governorate. The workshop was conducted by
The Maraya Center for Studies and Information
and successfully engaged 28 participants from
local government. The workshop focused
particularly on combating administrative
corruption in the Najaf provincial council.
Participants included members of the Najaf
provincial council, employees of government
offices, media and NGO representatives.
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IF Trains Social Workers from Basra, Emara, and Nasiriya |
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During the last week of February, IF hosted a
follow-up workshop in Basra to train Iraqi
social workers from Basra, Emara, and
Nasiriya on conflict resolution methods and
techniques, which address family abuse and
conflict with a particular focus on women and
children. This follow-up workshop is part of
a project sponsored by a grant from UNIFEM,
which aims to help prevent domestic violence
and abuse in Basra. The aim of this workshop
is to build and support the skills of the
social workers, which IF trained last December.
During the workshop, the participants
discussed their work in their local
communities and
shared successful strategies and methods to
approach the problems facing many of the women
and families throughout southern Iraq.
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Pledge for Iraq (PFI) News! |
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IF Staff Arrange Media Interviews for PFI
Campaign
IF's Pledge for Iraq (PFI) team arranged a
media interview with the Iraqi newspapers
Ta'akhi and AL-Hayat Al-Iraqiya for PFI's
chairperson, Dr. Azhar Al-Shaikhly, on
February 10th. Dr. Al-Shaikhly discussed
the envisioned goals behind the High
Commisision of Human Rights Law, currently under
consideration in the Iraqi Parliament. Later
in the Month, on February 14, IF arranged another
press interview with Al-Sharq newspaper for Ms.
Jacquelyn Zumayya, Board Member of PFI. Ms.
Zumayya discussed Article 41 of the Iraqi
constitution and promoted the freedom in the
practice of religion and the right of choice
in worship.
IF Staff Participate in a Foundation for
the Defense of Democracy Workshop
In related news, representatives from IF's
Baghdad and Basra offices, Ms. Suhaila Hassan
and Ms. Sukaina Jameel, participated in a
four-day workshop on the role of civil
society organizations in supporting the goals
and platform of the Pledge for Iraq (PFI)
Campaign. The workshop, which was held in
Sulaimaniya, Iraq, was sponsored by the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracy
(FDD), and brought together PFI
implementation partners as well
as PFI Board Members.
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IF's Human Rights Defenders Network Publishes 12th Newsletter |
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The Human Rights Defenders Network (HRDN)
published its twelfth electronic newsletter in
January. These newsletters report on the
human rights situation in at least twelve
different governorates of Iraq each month.
Formed in
December 2006 by the Iraq Foundation, HRDN
monitors, documents, and advocates for human
rights countrywide. Published in
Arabic, HRDN's monthly newsletters are
available on our website. Some newsletters
are also available in English. To learn more
about the HRDN project click here.
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