Supporting Iraq's Constitution

Supporting Iraq's Constitution I. USAID SUPPORTS THE DRAFTING OF IRAQ'S CONSTITUTION At the request of the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG), USAID is supporting the Iraqi constitutional process and the Constitutional Drafting Committee through several of its programs. The process and timeframe for the constitution's adoption is set in the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), which states that the Iraqi National Assembly (INA) and its appointed Constitutional Drafting Committee shall draft the document by August 15, 2005 and present it to the Iraqi people for general referendum no later than October 15, 2005. Public input during the drafting process and an extensive public outreach campaign are essential to the success of the constitutional process. In addition to providing technical experts, training, and measures of public opinion to the Constitutional Drafting Committee, USAID is conducting an array of public awareness and participation campaigns to encourage civic engagement in the constitutional process. Assistance is structured to facilitate input from a broad range of stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on underrepresented and religious groups. A special effort has been made to include women throughout USAID-funded activities. II. USAID'S IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS National Democratic Institute (NDI) -- NDI facilitates the work of the Constitutional Drafting Committee by providing its members with technical assistance as required and comprehensive measures of public opinion regarding divisive constitutional issues. NDI works with Iraqi NGOs, in particular those representing minority interests, to build their capacity to serve as influential advocates during the constitutional process. International Republican Institute (IRI) -- IRI is assisting the Constitutional Drafting Committee in its public outreach efforts and is building the capacity of several Iraqi NGOs to conduct a nation-wide voter education campaign to raise public awareness of constitutional democracy and the drafting and referendum process. America's Development Foundation (ADF) -- ADF is supporting Iraqi Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to effectively and responsibly promote their constituents' interests. ADF also promotes the development of an independent and professional media sector capable of reporting accurately and responsibly on the constitutional process and public affairs. IFES - The role of IFES in the constitutional process is limited to supporting the INA, UNAMI and the Constitutional Drafting Committee through expert assistance to the Independent Election Commission of Iraq on issues related to electoral law and systems of representation. III. ACTIVITIES SUPPORTING THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS A. Technical Assistance to the Constitutional Drafting Committee USAID's partners will provide technical assistance as part of a broader UN-led initiative for the development of procedures for the Constitutional Drafting Committee. Assistance includes the provision of comparative constitutional models; support for a representative group of Iraqi NGOs and academic, religious, and legal communities to work with official committee members; and assistance in the development of a public communications strategy for the committee. IFES, at UNAMI's request, provides technical assistance to the Constitutional Drafting Committee regarding systems of representation, constitutional referenda and electoral law. IRI is training the Committee's public affairs and media relations staff on how to structure and run a public affairs/media office. NDI has provided a subgrant to the DePaul University's International Human Rights Law Institute which is presenting timely legal documents (in Arabic) on comparative Arab constitutional issues as well as human rights, political freedoms, and women's rights. B. International Constitutional Advisors An advisory group of prominent Middle Eastern, European, and American constitutional law and Islamic law experts will be convened to provide advice on substantive issues throughout the constitutional development process. NDI is rotating seventeen experts into Iraq who will provide uninterrupted technical assistance to the Constitutional Drafting Committee on issues such as federalism, human rights, the role of religion, and the economic development of Iraq. The rotation is expected to be completed by the August 15th deadline. NDI has also convened a rapid-response, global advisory board of approximately 35 constitutional experts that will provide timely answers to specific Committee questions via email. NDI has provided a subgrant to the Forum of Federations, a Canadian NGO, which currently has experts in Iraq assisting with federalism issues and the constitution. C. Civic Education and Awareness Programming A public information campaign on the constitutional process and important issues will target Iraqi citizens, CSOs, and members of the legal community, including human rights defenders, democracy advocates, civic leaders, and women's associations to ensure they are informed on the nature of the constitutional process and the mechanisms for providing input. Outreach To Iraqi Civil Society Organizations ADF facilitated three national conferences in women's political participation, governmental transparency, and human rights. Participants in each conference drafted unified position papers and/or recommendations to the Constitutional Drafting Committee. ADF held 39 Civil Society Workshops bringing 742 CSOs together to discuss issues such as gender relations, human rights, and educational outreach. ADF established 18 Civil Society Resource Centers, which will serve as regional hubs for the provision of training and technical assistance resources to Iraq's developing CSOs. Reaching the Iraqi Public NDI is helping 150 small to medium sized Iraqi NGOs conduct more than 3,500 civic dialogues nationwide to focus on important constitutional issues. NDI has trained 329 Iraqi constitutional forum facilitators who have conducted approximately 300 sessions across Iraq. 80,000 copies of "Engendering the Constitution", a brief overview of constitutional issues developed in both Arabic and Kurdish, have been printed and distributed by NDI. Working with the Civic Coalition for Free Elections (CCFE), IRI has facilitated more than 1,500 constitutional workshops in all 18 Governorates. The program is expected to reach more than 63,000 Iraqis. 700,000 copies of the "Constitution for Everyone" pamphlet have been printed (600,000 Arabic, 100,000 Kurdish) for distribution at the IRI organized workshops mentioned above. IRI is organizing a Town Hall meeting in conjunction with CCFE and the Constitutional Drafting Committee which will allow civic leaders the opportunity to pose questions directly to the Committee Members. The meeting will be televised nationally. D. Media Outreach and Development USAID works with its implementing partners to ensure the development of an independent and professional media sector capable of not only reporting on the constitutional process, but willing to air Public Service Announcements and other media outreach products developed in conjunction with IRI and ADF. IRI has organized a number of televised 30-minute talk shows in which members of the Constitutional Drafting Committee, including Chairman Hamoudi, field pre-taped questions from ordinary Iraqi citizens on constitutional issues. IRI has also produced 10 Public Service Announcements for the Committee urging public participation in the drafting process. Due to be fully distributed by the end of July, IRI has developed a series of 10 posters that call for public participation in the constitution drafting process. Through a subgrant with IREX, ADF provided training for 80 journalists to develop the skills required for them to report on the constitutional process. ADF is providing the Iraqi Media Network (IMN) with training and technical assistance to help transform the organization into a public service network. ADF is also helping IMN develop a twice-weekly TV program called "Our Constitution" which will report on the constitutional process as the October 15th referendum approaches. E. Opinion Research on Constitutional Issues USAID's partners have ongoing surveys to measure public opinion on a range of divisive constitutional issues and plan to conduct a series of public surveys on the constitutional process once the Committee's draft is released. The results from these efforts will be shared with Iraq's political leadership and the Constitutional Committee in the hope that the concerns and reactions of the electorate will be reflected in the constitution. The findings of this research will also be disseminated to the public through print and broadcast media, as well as to CSOs, NGOs, and other interested organizations. The result of public opinion surveys completed by each participant in NDI's 3,500 civic dialogues will be compiled by four key Iraqi NGOs. The final product, a document summarizing public opinion regarding particular constitutional issues, will be submitted to the Committee. F. Women's Advocacy on the Constitution USAID will promote the involvement of women's groups in constitutional development, focusing on strengthening gender equality provisions and legal rights to be considered in drafting the permanent constitution, including property, marriage, and inheritance rights.