Strengthening the Rule of Law in Iraq
part of the Rule of Law
Program Experts
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Senior Program Officer, Rule of Law Center
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Since 2004, the Rule of Law Center of Innovation has worked with the Iraqi parliament, government, judiciary and civil society to establish and strengthen the rule of law in Iraq.
Iraq has undergone amazing transformation in the past six years. Yet with the drawdown of U.S. forces imminent, Iraq continues to face daunting legal and institutional challenges. These include the need for constitutional guarantees of basic rights; the lack of a solid legal framework related to returning displaced persons; barriers to access to justice arising from Iraq’s new system of judicial federalism; and the struggle of the federal judiciary to assert its independence. Addressing these challenges will significantly impact the nation’s ability to recover from ongoing conflicts and prevent future ones.
Maintaining the current trajectory of progress in Iraq will require a continued commitment to strengthening the laws and institutions that are at the heart of any society governed by the rule of law. To further this goal, Rule of Law works closely with Iraqi partners and the staff of USIP’s Baghdad office to implement projects in the areas of constitutional development, property law, judicial independence, and transitional justice.
Projects
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ROL played a key role in helping to create the Iraqi Committee for Judicial Independence (ICJI), a network of representatives from the government, judiciary, and civil society that provides crucial input on issues facing the country’s judiciary. ROL continues to work with ICJI to educate members of the judiciary and the general public on the issue of judicial independence. |
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To help Iraqi policymakers explore options for addressing past abuses, ROL has partnered with Iraqi government and NGOs to disseminate Kurdish and Arabic versions of the documentary film Confronting the Truth: Truth Commissions and Societies in Transition. Screenings of this film provide an outlet for Iraqi communities to confront and help resolve the effects of Saddam era and more recent acts of violence, and promote discussion of whether truth commissions might be used in Iraq. |
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In an effort to mitigate conflicts over property rights that will arise as displaced Iraqis return to their homes, ROL has brought together senior Iraqi officials to create new mechanisms for returnees to recover their property. ROL is also funding projects to provide returnees with information about relevant government procedures and available resources. |
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ROL provided technical assistance to Iraq's Constitutional Commission and its successor the Constitutional Review Committee, which in July 2009 submitted a comprehensive set of proposed constitutional amendments to Iraq’s Parliament. ROL’s current efforts focus on implementation and realization of key constitutional rights, institutions, and processes, including the relationship between Iraq’s national, regional, and provincial governments and minority rights. |
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