EuroMed Feminist Initiative and the Regional Observatory on VAWG received by the President of Iraq, H.E. Mr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid

The Experts were participating at a Regional Experts Roundtable that took place in Baghdad under the patronage and in partnership with the Department of Women´s Affairs in the Presidency of Republic of Iraq to share progress made in combating VAWG and update the 2024 Regional Index on VAWG, as a part of the project “Strengthening Participation, Peaceful Coexistence and Equality in Iraq” (SPACE), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.  

H.E. Mr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid underscored Iraq’s commitment to advancing women’s rights and strengthening human rights protection and highlighted the critical role of women in driving social, economic and political progress and reaffirmed Iraq’s pride in joining the Regional Index on combating VAWG, now encompassing nine countries. He emphasised the Presidency’s efforts to foster a legislative framework aligned with international human rights standards. Notable achievements include the establishment of the Women’s Affairs Directorate in the Presidency to support women in leadership roles and the submission of key legislative proposals to the Council of Representatives, such as the Domestic Violence Law and the High Commission for Women’s Empowerment Law.

Ms. Boriana Jonsson, Executive Director of EuroMed Feminist Initiative expressed the sincere gratitude of the delegation for this reception and the opportunity to share with H.E. the recent developments in advancing women´s rights in the region. She extended the gratitude of EuroMed Feminist Initiative to Department of Women´s Affairs under the leadership of the General Director Ms. Hana Gorgis, for the fruitful cooperation as well as the sincere appreciation of the guidance and support of the process by Mr. Amir Kenani, the legal advisor of the President of Iraq.        

Ms. Susan Leichtweiss, GIZ’s Head of Programme of SPACE, affirmed the commitment to contributing towards a peaceful and safe society for women and girls and to supporting the increased participation of women in social and political decision-making and peacebuilding processes. She underlined that the Regional Index is important part of this work and objective.

Boriana Jonsson invited then several experts from different countries to briefly share main updated in combating VAWG.

Mr. Hanna Nakhleh, Advisor to the Minister of Women’s Affairs and the National Observatory on VAWG in Palestine presented how both the Ministry and Civil Society work to address VAWG in the context of being under occupation. He elaborated that the Ministry works on three levels. First, international accountability and mobilisation to raise the voice of Palestinian women. Second, the economic, social, political empowerment of women. Third, eliminating all forms of VAWG through monitoring the violations of women rights ( social violence and occupation violence).

Dr. Ahmad Abu Haider, Assistant to Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Development in Jordan, thanked H.E. for this opportunity and underlined the positive impact of the rich cooperation and exchange with the Department of Women’s Affairs and Mr. Kenani´s support. He added that the distinguished experience of Jordan in enhancing legislation and policies to combat VAWG as well as improving services for women victims, can benefit the bi-lateral and regional exchange, stressing on Jordan efforts to apply a comprehensive approach to addressing VAWG. Ms. Nadia Ait Zai, President of Information and Documentation Centre on Children and Women’s Rights (CIDDEF) in Algeria elaborated on the importance of exchange of experience and practices for the benefit of the women´s human rights between the two countries and regionally.  

Ms. Lamia Chamas, Former Coordinator of the National Gender Observatory at the Lebanese National Commission of Women mentioned the challenge now for Lebanon to engage in needed reforms to reconstruct the country and revise economy. This cannot be achieved without the full engagement and participation in this process of women in Lebanon who represent half of the population.

Dr. Sakina Yabouri, from Department of the National Observatory on Violence against Women, at the Ministry of Solidarity, Women's Affairs and Social Development in Morrocco and Ms. Rabha Ben Husain from the National Observatory for Eliminating Violence against Women at the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and the Elderly in Tunisia emphasized the particular role the National Observatories in their respective Ministries play in the coordination of the implementation of laws and policies, in service provision,  in data collection and in prevention measures.   

Ms. Suzan Aref, Executive Director of Women Empowerment Organisation and President of Woman for Peace Network concluded that to effectively combat VAWG, strong political will is required to prioritize women’s issues at the national level. It is important to have strategies and plans in place, but it is not enough: they must be fully implemented with adequate resources, legal enforcement, and support systems. Establishing an observatory in Iraq dedicated to monitoring women’s status and violence can help ensure that data-driven, context-specific actions are taken, and that women’s rights remain a central focus on the national agenda.

H.E. Mr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid affirmed Iraq´s support of the Palestinian cause, the support of women´s rights and human rights and proposed to widen the work on women´s rights, to include issues linked to climate change and combating drugs as they have dimensions that affect both women and men.

The delegation expressed gratitude for President Rashid’s leadership in advancing equality between women and men and strengthening Iraq’s human rights framework. They pledged to deepen cooperation with Iraq, particularly in expanding partnerships focused on humanitarian and societal development and in expanding.