(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.

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WIDOWS NEED MORE THAN HANDOUTS
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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.

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GOI COMMITMENT IS KEY
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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