Krönika: Civil society important in democracy building in Iraq

The Iraqi Women's Network is constituted by 85 women's organisations. Together we work for the Iraqis' will and legitimate expectations to dedicate a state rule that believes in human dignity, guaranteeing citizens' rights and general freedoms. This has always been violated by consecutive state's regimes since the establishment of the Iraqi state.

To work for Human Rights in Iraq is a difficult task in these times, where we are trying to pass through the dark tunnel terror and backwardness towards freedom and establishing a state of law, justice, equality and democracy. Therefore, the international community needs to support an independent civil society in Iraq.

So far, the international community has given a lot of money to the Iraqi government but there have been no results. Poverty, violence and instability still prevail and dominate every day life of women and men.

While writing on behalf of the Iraqi civil society organizations, I must refer to our vibrant and interactive experience with the public life of the country since the beginning of the fall of the dictatorship regime. We have participated in the political, social, and economical transformations, especially during the elections and the constitutional referendum. We did this through monitoring, lobbying, advocacy, and awareness campaigns, conducting field researches, capacity and skills  building, through sustained programmes of spreading culture of  dialogue, pluralism, tolerance and mutual understanding and human rights, including woman and child rights.

We have been promoting concept of non- violence, conflict resolution, peace building, and human security, focusing on citizenship values and principles, efficiency, integrity, national unity, sovereignty of law, transitional justice, and democracy.

Iraqi civil society organizations, in general, with their diverse formations, have succeeded in crossing the hindering and sensitive lines of extreme sectarianism, regionalism, ethnicities, tribalism, and parties affiliations. They have proved their capacity in lobbying and mobilizing at the social level, and as motivating mediator to a national and civil revival in Iraq. 

We have pursued, and still are, working with different governmental authorities, to identify a convenient mechanism to promote and protect human rights, on the basis of transparency, free right to access information, partnership in forming the public policy of the state with implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Guaranteeing organisations in the civil society freedom and independence in their work as a per stated in the constitution, assuring them right for accountability questioning according to the law, with the state facilitating organisations activities, providing necessary financial support as per declared criteria.

When the international community gives money to the government, ministries and institutions they also support religious groups. The Iraqi ministries give no, or very little, money to independent organisations.

For social change to happen and poverty to be eradicated the international community needs to help strengthening an independent civil society by giving both political and financial support directly to them.

Hannaa Edwar,
Iraqi Women's Network