MOHR TO LEAD DRAFTING OF GOI HUMAN RIGHTS STRATEGY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002596 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2018 TAGS: PHUM PGOV IZ SUBJECT: MOHR TO LEAD DRAFTING OF GOI HUMAN RIGHTS STRATEGY REF: BAGHDAD 2251 Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Steve Walker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) will lead GOI efforts on drafting a national human rights strategy based on a report MoHR completed in July outlining the principles for a national strategy. DRL granted $500,000 to American University (AU) to assist the MoHR and other ministries and human rights entities in drafting and implementing the national strategy. PolOffs and DRL's AU grantee met with Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Salim at her office in Mansour on August 13 to discuss plans for beginning this process. AU will begin working with the MoHR immediately. Wijdan is hopeful the drafting process will enhance interagency GOI coordination and cooperation on human rights issues. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) PolOffs visited the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR),located in Mansour district of Baghdad, on August 13 to discuss modalities for USG assistance to the ministry as it it prepares to draft a national human rights strategy. They were accompanied by Melinda Lord, the representative in charge of a $500,000 DRL-awarded grant to American University (AU) to work with the MoHR in designing and implementing a national strategy. The project proposal includes working with other ministries in developing the national plan and then assisting them by conducting training courses on implementing and monitoring the national strategy. MoHR has committed to weekly, working-level meetings with AU to ensure clear lines of communication and collaboration. ¶3. (SBU) The MoHR recently published a report entitled "The Basic Principles of Preparing the National Plan." The 62-page report addresses reasons for the need for a national strategy, how to develop the strategy, who should be involved in formulating it, and how the plan will be implemented and monitored. Previously, Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Salim said the MoHR would bring together all relevant parties to formulate a national strategy based on this initial report. Wijdan said the PM had already sent a letter to each ministry requesting that they help formulate this national strategy (ref A). ¶4. (SBU) Wijdan emphasized to the AU representative that the strategy needs to be designed with input from all necessary entities, including the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Education, Higher Education, Labor and Social Affairs, Displacement and Migration, and Health. Other participants should be the Human Rights Committee in the Council of Representatives and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh's office. AU will help bring together these actors and involve them in designing the strategy. There will then be a training component focused on how to implement a national strategy. AU will also provide training for GOI officials, and Iraqi NGOs on human rights issues, human rights reporting, and relationships with independent commissions and NGOs. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Minister Wijdan's determination not only to complete a national human rights strategy, but to ensure that the GOI has the lead in doing so is encouraging. It is essential that Iraqi efforts drive this process, a theme we have reinforced with the AU grantee. Wijdan welcomed AU's assistance, but recognizes that the MoHR must take the overall lead in designing the strategy if it is to receive greater GOI buy-in. END COMMENT. CROCKER