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Since the summer of 2003, the International Republican Institute (IRI) has worked with political parties, civil society groups, and government officials and their staff to help transition Iraq to a fully-functioning democracy. Through trainings and technical advice, IRI is assisting its Iraqi partners develop issue-based political platforms, issue advocacy campaign, and public policy that addresses the concerns of voters.
Political Party Development
To help Iraq’s political parties develop internal democratic mechanisms, issue-based platforms, and institutions, laws and procedures that promote open and transparent elections, IRI offers trainings on organization building, platform development, public communications, coalition-building, and campaigning for elective office. IRI also focuses its efforts on the involvement of women and youth in political parties.
Campaign Training
In 2009, now being referred to as the “year of elections,” IRI is conducting campaign management and party organization training seminars. With at least five elections planned in 2009, IRI will concentrate its trainings on assisting parties and candidates with the foundations of running sound campaigns. The focus will be on how to target, reach and track voters, and making sure voters turn out on Election Day.
Political Empowerment of Tribes
In late 2007, many of the tribal groups that were key to securing their provinces from extremist violence looked towards the next step of peaceful involvement, political inclusion in the democratic processes of Iraq. Since 2003 these organizations had largely boycotted Iraqi elections and, as a result, their interests went unheard. IRI will work with these newly emerging political entities to assist them in developing the capacity to compete with the more established political parties.
Governance
Good governance will be the ultimate basis upon which support for Iraq’s constitution and its democracy will depend. Like other democratic governments, Iraq’s Council of Representatives and the government’s ministries must succeed in responding to the needs of the people in order to build confidence among Iraqi citizens.
IRI’s focuses primarily on building and strengthening the Research Directorate and the Council of Representatives’ Library, which serve a function similar to that of the U.S. Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress.
IRI also offers trainings and technical assistance to the media and communications offices within the Iraq government on the role of a communications office. To strengthen and institutionalize communication functions within the legislature and between members and their constituents IRI hosts consultations, formal training, and exchange programs.
Public Policy Foundations
Private think tanks are a vital part of any effective democracy. In order to build capacity in this field, IRI supports several promising Iraqi think tank and public policy institutes. IRI’s partners constitute a diverse grouping of Iraqi organizations that study a wide range of topics and cover the nation’s geographical regions.
IRI provides material support as well as technical assistance and recently produced television shows featuring think tank partners and members of the Council of Representatives discussing provincial council-related issues.
IRI provides its partners with research methodology training and consultations, and supports a Baghdad-based think tank in publishing and distributing a quarterly newsletter designed to infuse new ideas into the Iraqi public policy debate.
Civil Society Development
In order to make the transition from dictatorship to democracy, Iraqi citizens must be prepared, encouraged and empowered to take part in the process of self-governance. IRI has concentrated substantial resources in promoting advocacy among all types of civic organizations that work for the people outside the halls of government. A large part of this effort consists of working with Iraqi civic leaders to develop voter education programs that utilize a combination of national media coverage and grassroots activism to promote a substantive discussion of critical issues facing the nation.
In August 2008, IRI supported the efforts of civil society partners to carry out a nationwide awareness campaign to inform citizens about the voter registration process for provincial council elections. The campaign, a combination of media broadcasting, print material distribution and grassroots activities, targeted the general population, as well as specific segments.
In the lead-up to the January 2009 provincial council elections, IRI supported voter education activities throughout Iraq, ranging from town hall meetings to workshops and the distribution of voter education materials detailing relevant information on the election process and encouraging the population to vote. IRI Iraqi partners focused on creating awareness among Iraqis and targeted traditionally marginalized communities such as women, youth and minorities.
IRI’s media center offered Iraqi partners the ability to produce television and radio public service announcements focusing on the key issues debated among candidates competing for provincial councils seats.
Women’s Programs
IRI has supported efforts to promote the role of women in public and political life since 2004, in events which bring together civic activists, members of governorate councils, officials from the executive branch and members of the Council of Representatives.
In preparation for the provincial council elections, IRI supported seminars, radio programs and the production of print material to educate female civic activists. IRI also supported the training of women candidates to manage effective election campaign.
IRI also supports a gender mainstreaming program focused on empowering the role of women working in government agencies, ministries and municipal councils. The advocates IRI supports strive to raise public awareness among the government and the general population on women’s rights. They also pressure the Iraqi government to ensure legislative conformity with international human rights standards. In the coming months, they will work with the judiciary to improve judicial response in the courtroom to gender-based violence and to increase the number of women working within the judiciary.
Youth Programs
Originally formed in 2005, the Nationwide Youth Coalition is an alliance of four separate youth centers in the cities of Baghdad, Erbil, Nasiriya and Ramadi working together to promote youth participation in the political process. In previous years, the youth coalition conducted nationwide voter education and public awareness campaigns which were primarily focused on college students.
Since 2006, IRI has supported the coalition’s Campaign 25, a project designed to decrease the minimum age of candidacy for elected office from 30 to 25 years of age, and increase political participation among Iraqi youth. Campaign 25 saw the first steps of its success in the Kurdish region of Iraq, when the law was changed to lower the age of candidacy. The youth groups will take their campaign to the national level, organizing grassroots support nationwide. In support of this effort, the four youth centers have hosted workshops, conferences, festivals and meetings with important political leaders. Additionally, the youth coalition has distributed thousands of print materials and broadcast television spots and talk shows in support of this initiative to reduce the political marginalization of Iraqi youth.
During the voter registration process for the provincial council elections, the youth coalition distributed print materials that encouraged youth (many of whom are first time voters) to register to vote. In the months before the provincial council elections, youth coalition partners organized a nationwide campaign to encourage youth participation in the provincial council elections.
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