IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS NGOS ON WAY AHEAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004955

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KWMN IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS NGOS ON WAY AHEAD

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS ROBERT S. FORD FOR REASONS 1.4 (B
)
AND (D).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. A group of Iraqi non-governmental
organizations (NGO) told PolOff and DRL representative on
December 7 that capacity-building is the greatest need of
most NGOs in Iraq. They said it is especially difficult
for independent NGOs to sustain themselves and they often
rely on donations from their own members, as well as from
wealthy patrons, to carry out their work. Many NGOs do not
know where to look for funding, which they say donors often
provide only to a small community of NGOs, or how to write
proposals to obtain funding. Attendees noted that the
Ministry of State for Civil Affairs has not effectively
paved the way for the growth and sustainment of civil
society, and has established cumbersome registration
requirements. They unanimously agreed that the most
critical human rights need is addressing poverty. END
SUMMARY.

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KEY NGO REQUIREMENTS ACCORDING TO NGOS
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2. (C) A group of Iraqi non-governmental organizations
(NGO) told PolOff and DRL representative Vitessa Del Prete
on December 7 that capacity-building is the greatest need
of most NGOs in Iraq. Transitional National Assembly
member and Failee Kurd Samia Aziz said that, as is the case
with many NGO leaders, she supports her organization with
her salary. Not only was she unaware of donor funding that
is available for the type of work in carried out by her NGO
(providing financial support to financially disadvantaged
youth and orphans),but she claimed to have no idea how to
develop proposals to solicit such funding.


3. (C) Buthaina Suhail, board member of the Women's
Alliance for a Democratic Iraq and head of the Iraqi Family
Society, agreed with Aziz, stating that many NGOs,
particularly independent NGOs, rely on donations from their
own members, as well as from wealthy patrons, to carry out
their work. Head of the women's branch of the Iraqi
Islamic Party Faria Hadeed said that her organization,
while the beneficiary of some small grants, has sustained
its work -- which focuses on empowering women economically,
politically, and socially -- primarily through donations.
All also complained that donors routinely fund the same
small community of NGOs.


4. (SBU) All the roundtable participants agreed that it is
especially difficult for independent NGOs to sustain
themselves. NGOs associated with political parties and
religious groups have a distinct advantage over independent
NGOs, they said, because the infrastructure to support
their work is provided by the sponsoring organization.
(NOTE: USAID has a USD 43 million grant with the Americas
Development Foundation that is designed to address NGO
capacity-building and sustainability issues. Under the
USAID program, four civil society resource centers have
been established in four regions to provide technical
assistance and small grants to Iraqi civil society
organizations. END NOTE.) Meeting attendees also said the
State Ministry for Civil Affairs has not effectively paved
the way for the growth of civil society -- especially for
independent NGOs. Suhail said she has not even bothered to
register her NGO due to what she considers to be excessive
registration requirements. (NOTE: The TAL requires that
all NGOs register with the Government. END NOTE.)

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GOVERNMENT MISSES THE MARK ON HUMAN RIGHTS
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5. (C) When asked to identify the most critical human
rights-related gaps, Suhail stated that, while democracy-
building is necessary, "hungry people do not care about
democracy -- they care about getting food." However, she
pointed out that the Government has not focused on the real
needs of the people -- the same needs that several of their
NGOs address. "We do not need more mosques," she insisted,
"We need schools, orphanages, and homes for the poor." Her
counterparts agreed, estimating poverty levels to be
between 50 and 70 percent and said they are especially
acute in the South. (NOTE: According to the Iraq Living
Conditions Survey conducted in 2004 by the Ministry of
Planning and Development Cooperation in coordination with
UNDP, 28 percent of households describe themselves as
"among the poor in Iraq." END NOTE.)

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COMMENT
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6. (SBU) Roundtable participants represented a cross-
section of many of Iraq's ethnic, religious, and political
orientations. Despite their differences, all attendees
conveyed the same message -- NGOs are key players in
addressing the problems the country is facing, but still
require assistance to develop the necessary capacity to be
effective. This is evident in the growth of Iraq's civil
society and the increasing effectiveness of many NGOs --
despite the challenges they face. As a fundamental
component of Iraq's human rights infrastructure, it is
critical that we support the growth of Iraq's nascent civil
society and ensure that NGOs develop the tools, knowledge,
and capacities to implement and continue successful
projects. We will continue to work with our interlocutors
-- within the Government, the international community, and
civil society -- to identify opportunities for capacity-
building, including funding availability and NGO advocacy,
as well as to leverage existing capabilities. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD