Administrator’s Weekly Report Governance

February 21 – February 27, 2004
 

HIGHLIGHTS

The United Nations (U.N.) completed its assessment of the transition in Iraq. Secretary General Kofi Annan acknowledged that credible direct elections would not be feasible before the planned transfer of sovereignty on July 1.

In the early morning of March 1 (after the period covered by this report), the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) completed the draft Transitional Administrative Law (TAL).


I. Support Transition to Iraqi Sovereignty

• The U.N. officially issued its report, from the recent transition fact-finding mission, to the CPA on February 23. Citing security and organizational issues as impediments, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan acknowledged that credible direct elections are not feasible before the planned transfer of sovereignty on July 1. The report recommended the establishment of an autonomous and independent Iraqi Electoral Commission as soon as possible.

• The CPA will consider U.N. proposals to develop a credible, secure process to choose a transitional government by July 1.

• The U.N. team recommended combining the constitutional convention and national assembly into one body, with two elections to choose both, rather than two bodies as currently required in the November 15 agreement. The U.N. recommended that the first election choose the national assembly, which would then write the constitution and put it before the people of Iraq for ratification.

• On February 27, 15 IGC members voted to repeal a religion-based family law proposal. The proposal would have threatened the future political rights of Iraqi women, who comprise more than half of Iraq’s population.

• Twelve governorates in Iraq have Provincial Councils that have completed the refreshment process to become more representative of their populations, in terms of gender and ethnicity, than when originally chosen. The status of each Provincial Council is contained in the following table (the three Northern governorates are not included):

REFRESHED                         IN PROCESS
Qadisiyah                                 Baghdad*
Wasit                                       Najaf
Muthanna                                 Dhi Qar
Maysan
Basrah
Diyala
Salah Ad Din
Ninawa
Tamim
Anbar
Karbala
Babil

* Establishing Provincial Council

• The Baghdad City Council requests it be given statutory authority in the TAL and continues to advocate for inclusion of its recommendations on home rule.

• The CPA worked with the International Centre for Reconciliation (ICR) to establish a home for the recently launched Iraqi Center for Reconciliation, Dialogue and Peace. ICR organized the first meeting of leading Shia and Sunni Clerics along with representatives of all of Iraq’s religious groups on February 24 in Baghdad. Dr Mouwafak al Rabbii and Mr Naseer Chadirchi, members of Iraq’s Governing Council, chaired the historic event, which was held in light of increasing tension among Iraq’s different tribal and religious groups. The culmination of the meeting was the signing of a ten-point document, known as “The Baghdad Religious Accord”. It calls for an end to violence and pledges that Iraqi religious leaders will work together on the process leading to democracy.

II. Develop Civic Participation in Governance

• The CPA, the Iraqi Foundation, the American Federation for Teachers, and the Civic Education Center sponsored a successful three-day conference February 21-23 in Baghdad, named “International Experiences in Civic Education.” In addition to panels led by international civic education experts, three members of the IGC and the Minister of Human Rights provided keynote remarks at the event. Among the key topics addressed were the prospect of education in Iraq, the educational system under the former regime, and civic education material in emerging democracies. Approximately 100 Iraqi educators participated in the conference and reached consensus on the following points: 1) the need for an interim framework to teach civics for the 2004-2005 academic year; 2) the need to train K-12 teachers as the highest priority; and 3) the need to establish a committee for civic education within the Ministry of Education.

• The Local Government Program (LGP) in Arbil held the first of a series of seven economic development clinics at Salah ad Din University on February 21. Fifty representatives from the government, the civil society community, the university, and the media debated business regulation, company incorporation, contract law, trade, investment policies, business taxes, insurance requirements, and labor protection. The clinics are part of the Local Governance Partnership formed between LGP and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

• Future town hall meetings across Iraq will focus on the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) and tenets of democracy. There are approximately 7 town hall regions planned in regions which have not had official town hall meetings to discuss the November 15 Agreement and are awaiting release of the TAL in order to use it as a focus of their meetings. Town hall meetings held to date have focused on other topics related to the Agreement and have been held in Basra, Mosul, Baghdad, Ba’quba, Tikrit, Kirkuk, Nasiriyah, and Najaf.

• The International Republican Institute (IRI), the Iraqi Foundation for Democracy and Development, and WADI (a non-govermental women's organization working in northern Iraq) co-hosted a women’s conference in Baghdad on February 26. More than 200 women from across Iraq, including many Kurdish representatives, participated in the event which focused on the role of women in Iraq’s transition to democracy.

• CPA provided assistance to the WADI Association for Crisis Assistance and Development Cooperation to establish these two women’s centers in Sulaymaniyah. Women in these previously neglected areas will have the opportunity to learn new skills, participate in literacy classes, and receive other support as they seek to contribute to the well-being of their families and the greater society.

• The Kirkuk Women’s Network held a conference on January 19, designed to raise awareness about women’s rights and develop recommendations for the Governing Council in drafting the TAL. Representatives of more than 20 women’s groups attended the conference and heard keynote remarks from the Governor of Kirkuk and Ms. Ala Talabani of the Iraqi Women’s High Council. This event was the first women’s conference held in Kirkuk and represents an important collaboration among the very diverse community of women’s groups.

III. Promote Respect for Human Rights

• A CPA exhumation team will work with the local population in the north to train them in conducting exhumations. The exhumations will be performed for the local population to identify and bury their dead, rather than forensic excavation.

• A representative of the International Commission for Transitional Justice visited Baghdad to meet officials, including the Minister for Human Rights, to assess the possibility of creating a Truth Commission.

IV. Support Development of Sustainable Political Parties / Associations

• The International Republican Institute (IRI) provided training on February 25 in Hilla for the Iraqi Democratic Gathering, an organization established by Al Sayid Farad Al-Hussainy Al-Quizwini. The training focused on the basics of political party development and the role of political parties in a democracy. Forty political activists from Nasariyah, Diwaniah, Hillah, al-Kut, Najaf, and Karbala attended.

ADDENDUM

The following is an update on the transition to sovereignty (after the close of the reporting period):

• In the early morning of March 1 (after the period covered by this report), the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) completed the draft Transitional Administrative Law (TAL). The meeting ended with agreement on each article and marked a historical moment for the Iraqi people. Among the highlights, this interim constitution recognizes Islam as a source, rather than the only source, for legislation, and states that no law will be passed during the transition period that infringes upon the tenets of the Muslim religion or contradicts democratic principles and fundamental rights. The law also guarantees the full religious rights of all individuals to religious beliefs and practices. In addition, the TAL states that women will hold no less than 25 percent of the seats in the provisional legislature.

• The CPA and the IGC are harmonizing the text for accurate translation. The IGC will sign the TAL in an official ceremony on Wednesday, March 3, after the end of the Shiite holiday of Ashoura.