(U) Secretary Clinton's April 25, 2009

UNCLAS PARTO 043001 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY KWMN PHUM PGOV IZ SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's April 25, 2009 Conversation with Iraqi Women, Iraqi Officials, and NGO Representatives ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified; handle accordingly. Not for distribution on the Internet. ¶2. (U) April 25, 2009; 11:30 a.m.; Baghdad, Iraq. ¶3. (U) U.S. The Secretary NEA A/S Jeffrey Feltman Ambassador Christopher Hill Director of USAID Office of Democracy and Governance Julie Koenen-Grant Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin Claire Le Claire (Embassy Notetaker) IRAQ Samira Al-Mousawi, Member of Parliament, Chair of Women's Committee Salma Jaboo, Advisor to President Talabani Suhaila al-Assadi, Iraq Foundation , Project Manager Eman Abdul Rahman,Iraq Foundation, Deputy Project Manager Hala al-Sarraf, Director, Iraq Health Aid Organization ¶4. (SBU) SUMMARY: On April 25, the Secretary invited a group of widows, Iraqi officials, and NGO representatives to recount their personal experiences and share their ideas about how to improve the lives of Iraqi widows. The invitees expressed their determination to achieve economic independence through education, job training, and employment. The head of the Iraqi Council of Representatives'(CoR) Committee for Women, Family, and Children highlighted the need for legislation that guarantees women's rights and a separate budget for widows' assistance programs. Both Government of Iraq (GOI) participants called for women to become part of the political decision-making process. END SUMMARY. -------------- WIDOWS NEED MORE THAN HANDOUTS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Secretary assured those present that the situation of Iraqi widows was a top USG concern, noting she had appointed the first Ambassador at Large for Women's Issues, Melanne Verveer. She emphasized her intention to raise the profile of women's issues in Iraq and to support good programs that provide education, training, and health assistance that will improve the lives of widows and all Iraqi women. She further promised to raise their concerns in her meetings with GOI officials. ¶6. (SBU) The key concerns for all the widows present were security for their children, and access to education and training, followed by employment opportunities that would enable them to support their families. The widow attendees told similar stories. All had lost their husbands due to terrorism or U.S. military operations; most had several children. Only two had jobs that provided an adequate income. One woman from Anbar province, whose husband was killed by insurgents for cooperating with U.S. forces, said she was living on handouts from Islamic organizations. Another had no housing and pleaded for a place to live with her four children. -------------- GOI COMMITMENT IS KEY -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Al-Assadi and Abdul Rahman of the DRL-funded Iraq Foundation noted that the Foundation's training centers worked closely with MP Samira Al-Mousawi's parliamentary Committee for Women, Family, and Children. The Foundation's Baghdad and Basra centers teach basic literacy, marketable skills, and computer and English language courses. The 400-plus widows enrolled in both centers also receive training in women's rights awareness and democratic values. Project Manager Al-Assadi called for GOI participation in creating work opportunities for widows. One of two Baghdad graduates present said she was working as a teacher in a private school, noting private sector jobs pay very little. The other commented she was completing her higher education, but was forced to live on handouts from her deceased husband's family, since she could not find suitable work. ¶8. (SBU) The Head of the CoR's Committee for Women, Family, and Childhood Al-Mousawi advocated for legislation supporting women's rights and development. She noted that democratic changes since 2003 have allowed women's voices to be heard (Note: Over 60 percent of voters in the January 2009 provincial elections were women. End note.), but that the former regime's mentality had to be replaced so that a new society based on respect for human rights could take root. Al-Mousawi believed that the social safety network and NGO assistance to widows were not adequate. Her goal was to pass legislation protecting women who have no source of income. Al-Mousawi said she has the support of UN Special Representative of the Secretary General Staffan de Mistura and hopes the USG will support her efforts to get the GOI to pass such a law. Al-Mousawi called for a separate GOI program budget for women's and children's development. Al-Mousawi also wanted the Ministry of Industry to allocate a portion of its small business projects programs to widows, thus linking them to Iraq's general industrial development. Both Al-Mousawi and Jaboo believed women must not only be voters, but become part of the political decision-making process. ¶9. (SBU) Al-Sarraf commented that the Iraq Health Aid Organization provides mental health therapy for widows traumatized by the sectarian violence which resulted in the deaths of their husbands. (Note: The program is funded by an $80,000 grant from USIP. End note.) In contrast to Al-Mousawi, Al-Sarraf believed civil society should play an even greater role in helping widows, since the government did not act quickly enough. CLINTON