WORKSHOP: Development of a National Action Plan in Iraq for implementation of United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

PRESS RELEASE
Development of a National Action Plan in Iraq for implementation of United Nation Security Council
Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

On April 4-5 the Iraqi-NAP1325 Initiative (I-NAP1325 Initiative) organized a workshop on “Refining the Framework of
the NAP1325 in Iraq” in Beirut. The workshop is a part of the process on development of a National Action Plan (NAP)
in Iraq for implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and
Security. This process was initiated by the I-NAP1325 Initiative in 2012, an initiative of women's rights advocacy NGOs
who came together with the objective to support the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)
to develop a NAP1325 in Iraq. It is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and facilitated by the
European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI.

The workshop had the following objectives:
 Refining the NAP framework that has been developed by the collaborative work of I-NAP1325 Initiative and
the State actors during the year 2012.
 Forming a Cross-Sectorial Task Force and working committees with responsibilities in the process of further
development of the NAP1325 in Iraq.
 Planning the future steps until the end of 2013, including consultations, finalizing of the NAP, its validation and
adoption by the Federal Government in Baghdad and Kurdish Regional Government.

The Cross-Sectorial Task Force formed on 4-5 April 2012 at the Workshop on Refining the NAP1325 FrameworkThe workshop gathered fourteen State actors and members of the parliaments from the Federal Government in
Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government and the 13 members of the I-NAP1325 Initiative representing the
advocacy women's rights NGOs and networks from the civil society, working on the implementation of UNSCR1325 in
Iraq. During the two days the State actors and the I-NAP1325 Initiative discussed in details the six pillars of NAP1325 in
Iraq and refined the strategic objectives, specific actions, expected results, indicators, implementing agencies and time
framework of the NAP.

The meeting formed the NAP1325 Cross-Sectional Task Force that consists of governmental actors, MPs, I-NAP1325
Initiative and security sector. The NAP1325 Cross-Sectional Task Force unanimously elected its two Chairs:
Mr. Mudhir Mujamea, Director General and Commander of Civil Forces Ministry of Defense, National Reconciliation
Commission. Ms. Bakhshan Zangana, President of the Women High Council in the Kurdish Regional Government.
The NAP1325 Cross-Sectional Task Force formed three committees to enable the further work on development of the
NAP:
 Drafting Committee
 Financial Committee
 Legal Committee

Drafting Committee comprises of legal and gender experts from the parliaments, governments, I-NAP1325 Initiative
and international consultants from IFE-EFI. It will prepare the draft of the NAP, with its major elements: executive Summary, glossary of words and terms used, contextual framework (Gender Audit), incorporate the adopted by the
Cross-Sectorial Task Force NAP matrix and pillars – goal, objectives, pillars, strategic objectives, specific actions,
desired result, indicators, responsible agencies and time frame, in three languages: Arabic, Kurdish and English. It will
submit it to the Task Force for final discussion, further validation of parliaments and broader civil society before
submitting it to the Prime Ministries Offices in Baghdad and Erbil. I-NAP1325 Initiative will further finalize a detailed
picture of current initiatives and activities that address women, peace and security issues and will present it to the
Drafting Committee for incorporation.

Dr. Ali Khadhim, Director General Ministry of Interior, Baghdad was elected as the Chair of the Financial Committee.
The Financial Committee consists of experts MPs, I-NAP1325 Initiative and financial consultants from IFE-EFI and has
the responsibility together with a financial consultant from Iraq to prepare a budget based on the proposed activities
by the Cross-Sectorial Task Force. It also has the responsibility to draft a fundraising strategy and propose it to be
voted by the Task Force before submitted to the Prime Minister's offices in Baghdad and Erbil.
Dr. Rozan Dizayee, Member of the Parliament KRG was elected as the Chair of the Legal Committee. The Legal
Committee consists of legal experts from the governments, the Legal Committees from the federal and Kurdish
parliaments, Human Rights Commission in Baghdad and I-NAP1325 Initiative. It is responsible to identify existing laws
to be annulled and/or amended in order to be harmonized with international conventions and resolutions in order to
enable the implementation of UNSCR 1325. It is responsible also to identify newly adopted womens' rights laws whose
implementation needs to be enhanced. In addition the Committee will map existing operations, strategic and
development plans and policies in Iraq and Kurdistan and position the NAP1325 within their context.

The Cross-Sectorial Task Force will continue to develop NAP for implementation of UNSCR1325 based on the work of
the three Committees. It will undertake further consultations in all the regions in Iraq and Kurdistan and will validate it
with other State actors and the two parliaments in cooperation with the civil society, before it submits it for adoption
by the two Prime Ministers' offices in Baghdad and Erbil.

9th April 2013, Baghdad - Erbil