Project Brief: Women, Peace and Security in the Arab States Phase II

Iraq has been experiencing over the past decades a series of armed conflicts and violence causing several waves of displacements, the most recent as a result of the occupation of large areas of the country by ISIL. Women and girls who have been living in areas under ISIL control have been exposed to rights violations, kidnappings, sexual slavery, rape and abuse. Iraq was the first country in the MENA Region to develop a National Action Plan (INAP) on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 for Women, Peace and Security during the period 2014-2018. The aim was to achieve women’s equal and full participation in decision making, prevention and resolution of conflicts, negotiations, peacebuilding, reconstruction and stabilization processes in Iraq. Under the Council of Ministers, a Cross-Sector Taskforce (CSTF) was established on Resolution 1325 to manage and support this process. After the expiration of the first INAP, Iraq decided to develop the second phase of the INAP to address the issues and needs of women and girls post conflict