UNDP has signed grant agreements with eight Civil Society Organization (CSO) consortia in Iraq, representing 31 local CSOs across the country on 28 April 2013 in an event hosted by the CSO Committee of the Council of Representatives. The Iraqi CSOs will be supported by UNDP to carry out initiatives that help promote human rights, anti-corruption and adequate service delivery in Iraq.
This is part of the “Empowering CSOs in Iraq” project that seeks to strengthen CSOs to promote and monitor government accountability.Under this project, UNDP will work hand in hand with the eight CSO consortia to deliver projects that not only leave a positive impact on the daily lives of the Iraqi people but also reinforce the capacities of local CSOs.
Awarded CSO projects will strengthen the ability of CSOs and citizens to determine priorities and contribute to decision-making with their local governments. There are also a number of human rights initiatives including working with universities and students on minority rights. Empowering women and expanding their participation in society and within local councils will also be the objective of some of the projects. Other initiatives look at reinforcing social cohesion and creating a harmonized, transparent and constructive relationship between civil society and local government. Finally, some projects are looking at advocating for enhancing the provision of concrete services such as waste management. The activities of the CSO projects will cover most governorates of Iraq.
UNDP has designed a thorough capacity development accompaniment mechanism to complement the provision of grants in order to ensure that participating CSOs maximize the benefits they will take from their experience. During the selection phase, the consortia received practical training and direct assistance on project proposal writing and project cycle management. Throughout the CSO project implementation, that will last for one year, the CSO consortia will continue to receive support, including on-the-job coaching, trainings and opportunities for knowledge-sharing among peers. The next round of trainings for the 31 CSOs will cover topics related to monitoring and evaluation as well as financial management.
This project is funded by the Iraq UNDAF Trust Fund with Danish Government funding and is implemented in partnership with UNOPS. The project is also supported by the Committee on Civil Society of the federal Iraqi parliament.
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About UNDP Iraq
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been present in Iraq since 1976. Since 2003, it has worked to support the Government and people of Iraq in their transition towards reconciliation, peace and stability. UNDP has also been supporting emergency physical rehabilitation projects in addition to improving the quality of basic service delivery, including health, water and electricity.
More recently, UNDP has contributed to strengthening the democratic process in Iraq through its support to the 2010 national Parliamentary elections and the 2013 provincial elections. UNDP continues to work with Iraq in the areas of anti-corruption, rule of law, justice, human rights, public sector reform, private sector development, inclusive area-based planning, mine action, disaster risk reduction, and environment and climate change. UNDP has also made helping Iraq to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 deadline a top priority, especially in the areas of primary education, employment and access to safe and reliable water and sanitation services.
For more on UNDP's work in Iraq please visit www.iq.undp.org