Civil Society and Media Development
To support the establishment of participatory democratic governance in Iraq, the USAID Civil Society and Media program will strengthen civil society's role in the country's economic, political, and social development. The program has two major goals: (1) to contribute to the development and institutionalization of a broad range of indigenous civil society organizations (CSOs); and (2) to promote the development of an independent media.
CIVIL SOCIETY
The civil society program focuses on civic education, women's advocacy, anticorruption, and human rights and has three core activities:
- Establishing four Civil Society Resource Centers staffed and managed by Iraqis to serve as regional hubs for the delivery of training and technical assistance to Iraqi CSOs.
- Providing training and technical assistance for Iraqi CSOs engaged in civic education, women's advocacy, anti-corruption and human rights in order to have a direct impact on Iraq's emerging democratic processes and institutions.
- Providing a small grants program to CSOs which reinforces the training and technical assistance activities.
MEDIA DEVELOPMENT
 The media support component focuses on providing technical assistance to the emerging Iraqi commercial media sector and emphasizes the development of news and public affairs reporting capacities. The goal is to develop outlets throughout the country that provide high quality information via print and broadcast media that respond to the needs of their audiences. Training and technical assistance will be provided in four main areas:
- Professional media skills development for journalists, editorial staff, media managers, and sales and marketing staff.
- Media business development, including targeted technical assistance such as instruction in market and media audience analysis.
- Media law advocacy assistance to facilitate the establishment of a legal, regulatory and policy environment that supports the development of an independent media sector.
- Roles and responsibilities of media and journalism practitioners in promoting and fostering the development and maintenance of a democratic and civil society.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Established four Civil Society Resource Centers in Basrah, Hillah, Baghdad and Erbil.
- Conducted 50 workshops and trainings on media, civic education, women's advocacy, and anti-corruption.
NEXT STEPS
- Build the capacity of CSOs to provide expanded services in the areas of women's advocacy, anti-corruption and civic education.
- Provide at least 576 interactive assessments, trainings and technical assistance interventions to local NGOs/CSOs.
- Organize and conduct at least 72 conferences, workshops and public forums that foster citizen participation and constructive activities by public interest groups that are directly related to the development of the new constitution and in the decentralization of governance.
- Award at least 128 small grants to CSOs and 24 grants to independent media organizations to reinforce training and technical assistance activities. Grants will total approximately $7.6 million.
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