UN Women meets with Women Leaders and Civil Society Organizations in Baghdad
Date:
Baghdad - UN Women Office in Iraq held a consultation meeting with Women Leaders and Civil Society organizations on August 2, 2017. The meeting was chaired by UN Women Regional Director for Arab States, Mohammad Naciri, who is currently visiting Iraq. The consultation meeting was an opportunity to discuss the current challenges facing women and girls in Iraq to better inform the development of UN Women Iraq Strategic Plan. Dina Zorba, UN Women representative in Iraq reiterated the important role of civil society organizations in voicing the challenges facing women, particularly the most vulnerable groups.
“UN Women is committed to supporting women’s rights in Iraq and will continue to work on the ground for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; empowerment of women; and achievement of gender equality” said Naciri in his opening statement, highlighting the importance of partnering with civil society organizations to accomplish these goals.
Representatives of 14 organizations took part in the consultation and shared their vision of priorities to be addressed to enhance gender equality and support the fulfilment of women’s rights. During the meeting participants highlighted the important role UN Women has played in empowering women through capacity building and strategic support to women’s organizations to enhance women’s political participation and leadership, support women economic empowerment, address all forms of violence against women and promote women’s rights and sustainable peace in Iraq. UN Women, on the other hand, reassured participants that the support to civil society will continue to remain at the core of the work the organization undertakes.