Declaration:

Making Constitutional and Democratic Rights a Reality in Iraq

In a Colloquium from November 7-10, 2005, a group of Iraqi writers, researchers, and activists in the field of human rights, alongside Arab and foreign experts, examined constitutional and democratic rights in Iraq, looking at legislation, implementation, and monitoring. They engaged in critical examination of civil and political liberties with a focus on freedom of expression--including information gathering and disseminating, the establishment of NGOs, and human rights practices in keeping with basic standards and international agreements. The Colloquium agreed on the need for critical observation of human rights practices, to create awareness, and to scrutinize the practice of freedoms and rights. The Colloquium further agreed to support the creation of Iraq Democracy Watch in order to carry out the following tasks:

1) Offering concrete advice on rights and freedoms to decision-makers in Iraq

2) Monitoring legislation relating to rights and freedoms and to examine their constitutional guarantees

3) Monitoring the democratic processes of state organizations and political institutions, with special attention to questions of legality.

4) Devising methods of cooperation and coordination with activist individuals and groups concerned with human rights, civil society organizations, and political powers in order to fulfill these noble national tasks.

The Iraq Foundation and Freedom House supported the Colloquium entitled Making Constitutional and Democratic Rights a Reality. The Iraq Foundation has agreed to provide follow-up support to the Colloquium in achieving its objectives.

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