KIRKUK NGO PROMOTES WOMEN'S RIGHTS, CITY PROJECTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000106

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BAGHDAD FOR POL, NCT, USAID, ROL COORDINATOR, IRMO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/30/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KWMN KDEM PINR IZ
SUBJECT: KIRKUK NGO PROMOTES WOMEN'S RIGHTS, CITY PROJECTS

KIRKUK 00000106 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Scott Dean, Regional Coordinator (Acting),Reo
Kirkuk, Department of State .
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) SUMMARY. On April 18, Fathal Uthman Rasul, founder and
director of the Rozh Foundation for Women's Rights, discussed
the organization's work with IPAO. The Rozh Foundation is an
NGO in Kirkuk that promotes women's liberties, civil society
projects and educational opportunities. The Director said he
and his associates strategically chose to establish Rozh in
Kirkuk because of the city's diversity. He said religious
ideology and archaic social traditions were the main obstacles
to improving both human and women's rights in Iraq. The
director complained that certain American and Iraqi NGOs got the
lion's share of the funding, and one of them had turned down
Rozh's proposal to share in the funding through an implementing
partnership. END SUMMARY.

Kirkuk's Favorable Conditions
--------------


2. (SBU) Rasul said he and his associates strategically chose
to establish Rozh in Kirkuk because of the city's diversity. He
claimed that women in Kirkuk played a large intermediary role in
settling ethnic differences, as witnessed by Kirkuk's vast
number of interethnic marriages. The Rozh Foundation's more
than 20,000 members represented all of Kirkuk's major
ethnicities. Rasul added that he wanted to increase his staff's
skills so that Rozh could expand its influence beyond Kirkuk
province.

Religion, Social Conditions Thwart Women's Rights
-------------- --------------


3. (SBU) Rasul asserted that women had more rights now than
under Saddam, yet women's rights were still not up to an
internationally acceptable standard. He said religious
ideology was the top obstacle to both human and women's rights
in Iraq. Other factors that distracted progress on women's
rights in Kirkuk included ethnic and sectarian tensions,
internal displacement, and archaic social traditions.


4. (SBU) Rasul said overcoming Iraqi social customs was a
substantial challenge. For example, according to Iraqi social
norms, a woman is not allowed to greet a man inside a home.
Rasul affirmed that such traditions had to go, but contended
that when the MNF-I mistreated or disrespected the Iraqi people,
such actions encouraged Iraqis to retain their traditions.

An Apolitical Iraqi NGO
--------------


5. (SBU) Rasul said the Rozh Foundation was not affiliated
with any political party because it wanted to maintain its
independence. He noted that Rozh, however, accepted funding
from political parties, as long as the donation was
unconditional. Rasul said some PUK and KDP officials
individually donated to the Rozh Foundation. Other substantial
donors include the International Republican Institute, National
Democratic Institute, Iraqi Civil Society Program, and USAID.
Rasul said the Rozh Foundation submitted a proposal to open an
independent printing press in Kirkuk, and was coordinating their
efforts with the MNF-I head of media affairs. He complained
that certain other Iraqi and American NGOs (not specified) got
more than their share of the available funding and that a Rozh
proposal to assist in implementing a civil society project was
turned down by an American NGO.


6. (C) According to Rasul, most women's NGOs were closely tied
to political parties, and as a result, those NGOs had a greater
loyalty to their party sponsor than women's rights. He argued
that institutionalizing apolitical NGOs was Kirkuk's third
greatest challenge after improving security and curbing public
corruption. Rasul reported that some (unspecified) political
parties were working against the Rozh Foundation because of
Rozh's growing success working with all parties. (COMMENT:
Rasul said he did not feel comfortable sharing which parties
were trying to undermine his NGO. END COMMENT.)

Rozh's Successes
--------------


7. (SBU) Rasul boasted about some of the Rozh Foundation's
successes. Rozh's computer education center presented regular
computer training courses, turning out graduates with basic
computer skills every 15 days. Rozh's education inspectors
coordinated with Kirkuk's general education department (is this
a city or provincial office?) to ensure academic, technical, and

KIRKUK 00000106 002.2 OF 002


materials standards were met. Rasul noted that the Iraqi
Minister of Education sent the Rozh Foundation an appreciation
letter for its computer courses and the technical equipment it
had provided to schools in Kirkuk. The Rozh kindergarten taught
children in Arabic, Kurdish, English, or French as a primary
language.


8. (SBU) Rozh's health committee worked to improve Kirkuk's
health care facilities, as well as to reach out to other
countries to attract foreign health expertise and technology to
Kirkuk. For example, Rozh was cooperating with the Italian
Government to send 250 children with leukemia to Italy to
undergo testing. In addition, Rozh sponsored four clinics, each
with eight doctors. Rasul claimed Rozh clinics were the only
health centers in Kirkuk that provided physical rehabilitation.

Comment
--------------


9. (SBU) Rozh appears to be a large and effective NGO in the
Kirkuk province. Our local contacts have reported that Rozh
uses the media effectively to advance its programs and messages.
Having a male director probably strengthens Rozh's core message
of improving women's rights in Iraq's male-dominated society.
BIGUS