Administrator’s Weekly Report Governance
March 13 - 19, 2004

HIGHLIGHTS

-- The Iraqi Minister for Human Rights, Abdul Basit Turki, and a delegation of independent human rights non-governmental organizations attended the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) in Geneva on March 15 where a permanent UN Human Rights mission in Iraq was announced.

-- The CPA sponsored a senior delegation of Iraqi women to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York March 1-12. The delegation represented women from the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), the Iraqi Higher Women’s Council, and prominent Iraqi civil society organizations.

I. Support Transition to Iraqi Sovereignty

• A recent Oxford Research International (ORI) poll, commissioned by ABC News and the BBC on March 15, found that

1) Iraqis overwhelmingly (79 percent) want their nation to remain united and centralized. The ORI poll should be considered reliable, but the federalism question was presented without a great deal of context. Other reliable polls show that when federalism is presented in a series of questions asking about local control, Iraqis are much more accepting. The negative reaction in the ORI poll is triggered probably by the perception in much of Iraq that federalism benefits only the Kurds.
2) Nearly half of respondents said the country needed a “single strong leader” for the next 12 months, versus twenty-eight percent who expressed the need for an Iraqi democracy. It is likely that this is in response to security concerns and fears of disunity.
3) Considering the same question but within a 5 year period, respondents expressed more support for democracy than for a single strong Iraqi leader.
4) Concerns related to a need for strong leadership notwithstanding, Iraqis clearly prefer democracy and democratic leaders to any other form of government, including a theocracy, which is preferred by no more than approximately 20 percent.
5) Support for political parties is very low. Seventy percent do not identify with any political party.
6) Confirming trends noted in several other polls, trust in the Iraqi police and army is high and increasing.

• The International Republican Institute (IRI) supported a forum conducted in Baghdad on March 13 and 14 by the Iraqi Foundation for the Development of Democracy, hosted by Ghassan Al-Attiyah on the new Transitional Administrative Law (TAL).

• Communications officials from the IGC, Iraqi Ministries, and the General Information Center convened in Baghdad on March 15 to exchange ideas and establish a network of communications professionals for the Iraqi government. The IRI lectured on the basics of government communication and led discussions on the issues related to public information access. This meeting was the first in a series of eight workshops designed to improve external communication by the Iraqi government.

• The CPA Local Governance Program (LGP) facilitated a training seminar for the Rashad District Council. Ten members participated, including the Mayor and the representative to the Kirkuk Governorate Council. Rashad is a predominantly Arab area, consisting mainly of members of the Al Assi tribe. The training focused on team building and Council procedures.

• Refreshment of the Dhi Qar Provincial Council continues with seats to be allocated to tribal representatives, political parties, district councils, women, hauza clerics, and professional unions. Each group is being encouraged to select its own members through a caucus.

• Town Hall meetings were held in Amara and Basra, March 13 and 14, respectively, where IGC members Wael Abdel Latif and Abu Hatem played a key role in promoting the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL). Interim Councils were briefed and discussions in mosques and political circles are underway.

II. Develop Civic Participation in Governance
Develop indigenous polling capacity; Provide women and youth with the skills necessary to become important participants in the political process; Develop local civil society capacity to conduct advocacy and participate in political life; Develop civic education programs promoting electoral participation and democratic ideals; Build capacity for civil society conflict prevention and mitigation

• The CPA, through USAID’s Iraq Transition Initiative (OTI), sponsored a senior delegation of Iraqi women to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York March 1-12. The delegation represented women from the Iraqi Governing Council, the Iraqi Higher Women’s Council, and prominent Iraqi civil society organizations. The delegation, which included IGC member Dr. Rajaa Khuzai, also traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with senior U.S. government officials including Department of State Undersecretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues Charlotte Ponticelli, and USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios. The Iraqi women also attended the President’s speech at the White House on progress in global women’s rights. During their visit in Washington they held several press briefings for members of the domestic and foreign press and participated in a public event at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. During their visit, the delegation discussed challenges facing women in Iraq, including lack of security and the need for training opportunities to increase women’s participation in political and social affairs.

• On March 15 and 16, Just Read, an Iraqi NGO, presented a National Agenda Dialogue Conference for youth in Baghdad with the support of USAID’s Local Governance Program (LGP). Just Read is a Baghdad-based NGO that focuses on the needs of young people. More than 200 young adults gathered from all parts of Iraq to discuss the role of youth in Iraq’s development. Among the agenda topics were economics, religion, democracy, media, education and women’s issues, all as pertaining to Iraqi youth. Participants highlighted that democracy and religion can co-exist and that traditional Islamic principles can still be followed in a democratic society. As a next step, participants suggested the development of a national communication network for youth to exchange information. The participants also emphasized the need to work with the Iraqi Governing Council. Although the LGP funded and facilitated the conference, Just Read independently determined conference content and structure with the goal of generating a genuinely independent dialogue among Iraqi youth. This conference is one of ten National Dialogue Conferences being supported by CPA and USAID under the Civic Dialogue Program.

• The Kirkuk Project Coordination Center (PCC) refurbishment is complete. The center will integrate planning and tracking efforts for Kirkuk reconstruction projects among the CPA, Coalition forces, the ministry directorates, the local Iraqi government, and NGOs. The PCC project will also train Iraqi staff on project and service assessments, and enable local leaders to establish priorities and seek funds for community improvement projects.

• Approximately 300 participants attended a conference to establish the League of Retired Persons of Kirkuk. The focus of the conference was the issue of the social security for retirees in the emerging Iraqi democracy.

• The CPA LGP held a discussion in Kirkuk with the Organization for Women’s Freedom on areas of possible cooperation, most notably in raising awareness among women and girls about human rights. In addition to inclusion of the Civil Society Organization (CSO) in the Civic Dialogue Program, other issues of priority included CSO participation in weekly meetings of the Council and committees, participation in projects to raise public awareness of issues such as corporal punishment in school, and participation in the creation of a safe social and educational space for students outside the classroom. The organization has already done considerable work in schools, with the media, and with other CSOs on the issue of women’s rights.

• The CPA LGP celebrated the opening of the Renaissance Women’s Association in Muthanna. More than 70 men and women attended the ceremony which was aired live on local television. When the LGP initiated efforts in Muthanna, there was no political platform for women. Today, nearly ten women’s leagues have been established across the governorate.

III. Support Development of Sustainable Political Parties/Associations
Support development of political associations

• National Democratic Institute (NDI) completed a series of multi-party workshops in Hillah, Baghdad, Tikrit, and Kirkuk. In addition to serving as an introduction to the NDI, the sessions provided an opportunity to assess the strengths, weaknesses, and potential capacity of more than 45 political parties that participated. The workshops were used to provide party leaders with an overview of the planning and techniques used by political parties around the world.

IV. Promote Respect for Human Rights
Educate on Human Rights Issues; Preserve documentation of past atrocities, raise awareness, and promote reconciliation; Strengthen local capacity to investigate and address past atrocities; Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) for past atrocities; Human Rights Incorporated into Laws; Develop Role of Independent Human Rights NGOs and Media; Establish a Human Rights Ministry

• The Iraqi Minister for Human Rights Abdul Basit Turki attended the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) in Geneva on March 15. The Commission produces resolutions on human rights in various parts of the world and reports on thematic issues such as the rights of women, children and minorities worldwide. The permanent staffing of the mission in Iraq will be organized through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The arrival of a mission team genuinely dedicated to the improvement of human rights in Iraq, combined with the simultaneous visit to UNCHR of a delegation of independent human rights NGOs from Iraq, is a positive move forward.