On July 30th, 2019, CGDS Director Dr. Choman Hardi and EU Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor, Mr. Rasti Ranj, met with the Iraqi Women’s Network in Baghdad as part of our EU project outreach. The main purposes of the meeting were to increase coordination between entities that are working on gender issues, complete a needs assessment to pinpoint the needs of various organizations, and provide support and training based on the assessment results. Another aim was to increase the coordination among all organizations in Iraq, especially between northern and southern organizations.
The Iraqi Women's Network is a non-governmental women's support group which consists of more than 100 organizations. It aims to support the development of independent, democratic, and civic groups, working within a humanitarian and developmental framework. The network is open to all ideologies that see women's progress as the true measure of society's progress. It aims to coordinate the efforts of women's non-governmental organizations and groups in building democracy and the rule of law and human rights, and working to eliminate violence and discrimination against women in Iraq. The network members believe that women in Iraq are becoming increasingly aware of their rights and opportunities, making the current period a good time to target prominent issues.
Currently, the network is advocating the Domestic Violence Act, which has been studied by many organizations under the umbrella of the Iraqi Women's Network. Many NGOs have created committees to advocate for the law; the committee membership included members of parliament, political and religious figures, and representatives of the military.
CGDS informed the Iraqi Women’s Network that the center supports their cause and will support and participate in all efforts to advocate gender equality. The network aided CGDS in choosing the best candidates, after the initial assessment, to participate in the CGDS workshops that focus on increasing knowledge about gender and women's rights.