As Iraq continues the process of government formation after its March elections, USIP's Rule of Law Center of Innovation is working with Iraqi minority groups to protect and reinforce constitutional rights. In an effort to strengthen democracy and raise awareness of minority issues in Iraq, USIP has helped establish a parliamentary minority caucus. USIP Senior Rule of Law Adviser Jason Gluck, who recently returned from Iraq, describes the caucus and its goals.
As Iraq continues the process of government formation after its March elections, USIP's Rule of Law Center of Innovation is working with Iraqi minority groups to protect and reinforce constitutional rights. In an effort to strengthen democracy and raise awareness of minority issues in Iraq, USIP has helped establish a parliamentary minority caucus.
USIP Senior Rule of Law Adviser Jason Gluck, who recently returned from Iraq, describes the caucus and its goals.
- Why is the creation of a minority caucus in Iraq important?
- How do you envision this group working within the parliament?
- What are its key goals and how will it achieve them?
- What obstacles might the caucus face?
- What else is USIP doing to support minority rights in Iraq?
Why is the creation of a minority caucus in Iraq important?
Iraqi Christian, Yazidi, Shebak and Sabean-Mandean communities are among the smallest and most vulnerable in Iraq. They have been repeatedly targeted for violence due to their ethnic and religious differences. They reside in areas that are among the worst in terms of basic essential services, such as water, electricity and healthcare. They face discrimination in employment and education, and have very little control over their own local affairs.
The parliamentary minority caucus is one vehicle to give voice to these communities. Collectively these groups comprise 14 of the 325 seats in the Iraqi parliament. The hope is that as a caucus they can raise awareness about issues that have previously been ignored, and lobby their colleagues in parliament and government to pass legislation and administer laws to improve the lives in their communities.
The caucus is important for what it is in addition to what it does – in a country where political interests are based largely on ethnic and religious identity, the caucus facilitates the collaboration of diverse components of Iraqi society for their individual and collective betterment. In the wake of last week’s horrific attack of Our Lady of Deliverance Church, which left over 50 Christians dead and over 60 more wounded, the caucus acted as the vehicle for the four communities to show solidarity with one another by issuing a collective statement condemning the murders and violence.
How do you envision this group working within the parliament?
The caucus will begin by identifying a set of goals for the next parliamentary term. For each goal the caucus will seek to raise awareness and support among the other political blocs – for the passage of new or amended laws in Parliament or fairer and more equal application of existing laws and regulations by the government. The caucus will also liaise with the media and civil society to educate the general public about the minority communities and the special challenges facing them in Iraq today.
What are its key goals and how will it achieve them?
While the caucus still has to narrow its agenda for the next parliamentary term, some of the goals already identified include reforming the education curriculum to more positively reflect Iraq’s minority communities, eliminating discrimination in education and employment, improving the delivery of basic services in minority communities, increasing participation of minorities in all levels of government, and having greater control over local affairs.
What obstacles might the caucus face?
The main obstacle the caucus must overcome is its own differences. The minority members of parliament come not only from different communities but also different political parties and blocs. There are important issues on which caucus members vehemently disagree, and which could be terminally divisive if not carefully managed by the members themselves. For the caucus to be effective it must focus on those issues where there are common interests and common goals. The areas of agreement far outweigh those where they disagree – but the risk that they could get pulled into politically divisive issues is real.
The second challenge for the caucus will be mainstreaming their goals so that it is not just 14 out of 325 advocating for a specific objective. Here the diverse politics of the caucus can be an asset, since caucus members from different parties can lobby their colleagues to support their efforts. The key, again, will be for the caucus to remain focused on the issues on which its members agree.
What else is USIP doing to support minority rights in Iraq?
In addition to the caucus, USIP is simultaneously supporting the creation of the Alliance of Iraqi Minorities, a network of Iraqi nongovernmental organizations and individuals from the Sabean-Mandean, Shebak, Yazidi and Christian communities. The Alliance is a civil society organization with similar goals to the caucus – each will support the other, with the caucus working in the political sphere and the Alliance working on the ground implementing projects.