As part of its support to the Council of Representatives (CoR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Inter-Agency Information and Analysis Unit (IAU), conducted a workshop on survey questionnaire design for 24 researchers from the CoR Research Directorate. The training was held at the Council of Representatives in Baghdad on 23 […]
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and UN Women have just concluded a two-day workshop on negotiation and mediation for women members of the Kurdistan Parliament. The workshop, co-organized by the Kurdish Assembly, brought together lawmakers committed to expanding the meaningful role of women in negotiation and mediation processes. “Having women in key […]
Speech of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the MOHR Conference, National Centre for Human Rights, Baghdad 19 December 2012. Minister for Human Rights, Engineer Shiya Al Sudaani, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured to be here with you today for the publication of the Ministry of Human Rights’ report on implementation […]
The respect and protection of human rights in Iraq remains fragile as the country continues its transition from years of conflict and violence to peace and democracy, says the United Nations in its most recent Report on Human Rights in Iraq, which covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2012. Violence remains of […]
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), welcomed the approval by the Iraqi Council of Representatives yesterday of the fourth amendment to the Governorate Council elections law, which determines the seat allocation formula to be applied in the elections. "The amendment was the final element in approving the legal […]
Drafted and adopted by a referendum in 2005, the Iraqi constitution outlines the structure of the federal government and stipulates what bodies should form its legislative, executive and judicial branches. The legislative branch is to consist of the Council of Representatives (CoR; the Iraqi parliament) and the Federation Council, an ‘upper chamber’ of parliament that […]
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), has welcomed the beginning of the first voter registration update in three years as part of preparations for the forthcoming Governorate Council elections on 20 April 2013. “The opening of 891 Voter Registration Centres is an important step towards transparent […]
By Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq. The frightful story of young Malala Yousafzai has shocked the world over the last weeks. This 15-year-old Pakistani girl almost lost her life because she spoke out for the right of girls to go to school. Like many others, I was shaken […]
By John Lee. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, has concluded a two-day visit to Basra, where he met with the Governor, Dr. Khalaf Abdul-Samad, and with the Director of the Basra office of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Mr. Hazim Joda. “This has been a very fruitful […]
By John Lee. On the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), called on all Iraqis to commit to resolving differences solely through non-violent means. “I am deeply concerned by the increasing violence Iraq has witnessed recently,” Mr. Kobler said. “Official figures […]
The Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), welcomed the official appointment of eight members of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). “I welcome this appointment. It now paves the way for the conduct of governorate council elections in early 2013,” Mr. Kobler said. […]
By Martin Kobler, Special Representative for the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq. Over the past few years, millions of Iraqi men and women have made their way home from polling booths across the country, proudly displaying their fingers dyed bright purple by the ink that symbolizes their vital contribution to the political process. I […]
