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IF Conducts Workshop for Iraqi Women Parliamentarians
 From July 18-22, 2010, IF successfully held the first Iraqi Women Parliamentarians' (IWP) workshop in Beirut, Lebanon. The workshop included 19 Iraqi women parliamentarians (15 newly elected, 3 re-elected and one former parliamentarian) coming from various provinces and representing almost all political parties. Trainers and speakers included Moroccan and Lebanese Parliamentarians as well as regional and international experts.
Topics covered included:
1. Approaches to conflict resolution, consensus building, and negotiation
2. Public speaking and leadership
3. Research and administration
4. Committee operation
5. Constituents relations
6. Oversight of the executive branch agencies
7. Policy analysis
This program was covered by local and regional media and newspapers. The workshop was an opportunity for IWPs from different political parties to meet each other and build friendly relationships away from sectarian and partisan clusters.
Many participants expressed their great satisfaction with the workshop as it gave them the opportunity and obtain valuable information from their more experienced counterparts.
Learn more, see photos and press clippings...
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IF Launches Youth Camp in Kurdistan for 100 Iraqi Students
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On July 14th, IF launched its first "Youth Civics Camp" in partnership with the American University of Iraq in Suleimaniyya (AUI/S). Four sessions of 25 students from different Iraqi provinces participated in the camps, which ran from July 14 to August 7th. The camps trained students on the 'eDemocracy' curriculum newly developed by the Iraq Foundation and Freedom House for use at the high school and undergraduate levels. Special modules in the curriculum dealt with the Iraqi constitution, the Iraqi state, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens under the constitution. Youth became familiar with primary characteristics of liberal democracies and how their civic duties play a central part in maintaining the country's peace and freedom. The training also addressed youth's role in developing an ethos of reconciliation, community based conflict resolution and cross-sectarian cooperation. The students also gained knowledge about civic action via the internet, including how to better use blogs, Twitter and Facebook, and how to get out their messages and widen their networks among other civic minded youth.
Learn more and view photos...
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IF's Human Rights Team Holds Coalition Building Meeting and Workshop
 On July 13, 2010, HRAI coalition members held their 7th coalition building meeting in Suleimaniyya, Iraq. During the meeting, the 20 participants discussed future activities including IF's media campaign about the UN human rights council recommendations to Iraq as well as the three reports that the HRAI coalition is currently writing: the shadow reports on CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the report on Iraq's legal status regarding the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture, and the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Following the coalition building meeting, IF held a workshop on the"Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women" (CEDAW) shadow report writing, from July 14-16. The workshop was facilitated by the Association Libanaise pour l'Education et la Formation (ALEF) and covered a range of issues including: the Iraqi state's legal bind to meet its obligations as stipulated in the Convention, an analysis of Iraq's compliance with the convention, the most important challenges that prevent Iraq from complying with the convention, and the technical aspects of the shadow report writing. Participants were very active and engaged.
Learn more and view pictures...
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IF Selects Integrity Monitoring Groups
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As part of our efforts to combat corruption and promote transparency, IF is pleased to announce that we have finalized the selection of the 15 provincial integrity monitoring groups (IMGs) as part of the Provincial Accountability and Governance (PAG) Project during the month of July. These monitoring groups are comprised of civic leaders and will work with the local provincial councils to promote an Agenda for Change. In order to select these groups, IF staff conducted visits to each of the 15 provinces to evaluate each group, discuss coordination, discuss the implementation of the province's Agenda for Change. The Agenda for Change will be supported with an image-based anti-corruption media campaign, which will air in the coming months on local and national Iraqi media. Learn more and view photos... |
