Strengthening Governance and Civil Society in Iraq

Institutional capacity-building is essential to Iraq’s long-term stability. USIP projects aim at bolstering Iraqi institutional capacity and strengthening civil society organizations.

Strategic Economic Needs and Security Exercise (SENSE)

Hundreds of senior Iraqi decision-makers have benefited from this interactive, computer-supported program that teaches negotiation, coalition-building, and effective resource allocation skills. This intensive 5-day program is designed to encourage cooperation and coordination across government and civil society institutions. Managed by USIP’s Baghdad office, the SENSE program is staffed and delivered by and for Iraqis.  

Property and Land Policies

Iraq is estimated to have 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) whose plight is an ongoing flashpoint for violence as they seek to return to their homes and recover property. USIP is bringing together senior Iraqi officials, civic leaders, and international experts to assist the Iraqi government in developing and implementing a strategy to enable the safe and durable return of Iraq’s displaced community. USIP‘s Network of Iraqi Facilitators is working to increase public awareness of services offered by the government and is implementing projects locally to help mitigate violence.

Advanced Negotiation Workshop for Iraq

This course will provide a comprehensive framework to help practitioners structure their efforts in negotiation, with practical investigations of problem-solving approaches and other considerations necessary to the development of effective sustainable agreements. Along with well-developed case studies, the course will emphasize practical exercises and skill-building in this essential capacity. Participants will include elected officials at the local, regional, and national levels. Select advanced facilitators from USIP’s Network of Iraqi Facilitators will serve as co-trainers and will receive specialized mentoring in advance of the program. Through this process, advanced negotiation training will develop into a standard training program that NIF members will be able to offer and deliver to key audiences on their own.

Toolkit for Collaborative Problem-Solving: Focus on Women

USIP is implementing a three-phased project to provide Iraqi women leaders with tangible leadership/management skills, enable coalition-building and forge a shared vision for Iraq. The project targets leaders from the parliament, provincial councils and civil society, building their individual and collective capacities to solve problems and improve services at the local, regional, and national levels. 

Protecting Minority Rights

In 2010, the Rule of Law Center brought together leaders of small Iraqi minority groups to discuss the challenges faced by their communities and the ways they could advocate for their interests. These discussions resulted in the formation of Iraq's first minority parliamentary caucus and an alliance of civil society organizations active in the field of minority rights.

The Justice System and Judicial Independence Initiative

USIP has played an instrumental role in helping create the Iraqi Committee on Judicial Independence (ICJI), a consortium of representatives from the Ministries of Human Rights and Justice, the judiciary, the legal community, civil society organizations, academia and the media across Iraq. USIP’s legal experts provided technical assistance to help ICJI develop sound consensus-based policies and advocacy strategies to promote judicial independence.  Separately, USIP has worked with Iraq’s national and regional judiciaries to improve the effective administration of justice in Iraq. Read about USIP Senior Program Officer, Jason Gluck, and his work on the Rule of Law in Iraq.

USIP Grants in Iraq

USIP’s Grant Program is a well-respected source of funding and support among Iraqi civil society organizations that aim to resolve conflict and promote peace.  USIP has funded more than 90 projects in Iraq since 2004, and will grant an additional $900,000 to Iraqi organizations in fiscal year 2011. USIP assists organizations throughout the application process, and places heavy emphasis on monitoring and evaluation to ensure maximum efficiency and impact.

Learn more about USIP's Grant Program