Expanding Civic Activism among Young Iraqi Women and Men

In 2019, popular protests in Iraq called for the end of corruption, better public services, and constitutional and electoral reforms. In the wake of these protests-known as the Tishreen ("October") movement-the chasm of distrust between decision-makers and citizens grew in size and visibility. This divide drove young reform-minded activists to mobilize and reconnect with local political communities.

While the Tishreen protests were massive in scale and tenacity, the young activists lacked a systematic approach to engaging their communities and translating community needs to decision-makers. Built on this momentum, the Ija Dorna program ("It's Our Turn" in Arabic), invested in youth leaders-30 men and 30 women under 35 years old-across six Iraqi provinces (Anbar, Baghdad, Karbala, Kirkuk, Sulaimaniyah, and Thi Qar) with the goal of strengthening relationships between Iraqi decision-makers and youth through civic activism. This program, facilitated by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), equipped activists with skills to assess local community priorities and translate them into concrete policy proposals.

"Citizens, particularly youth, usually have a worrying or tense relationship with decision-makers. This program helps youth think and plan for the best approach with the elected officials which is exactly what we need to learn. I have learned remarkable soft skills such as active listening, communication tools, and town hall arrangements with officials and citizens." Ija Dorna participant from Thi Qar

NDI held training workshops to introduce the activists to practices for conducting community outreach in the form of online polls and public town hall meetings. Afterward, participants invited community members to discuss local issues directly with government officials, members of Parliament (MPs), and civil society leaders to gain their support and discuss potential community improvements. Ija Dorna participants found that engaging decision makers and citizens together fostered an inclusive political environment, which resulted in policy recommendations that were both locally relevant and compatible with government plans.

In Karbala, a city in central Iraq, the Ija Dorna team worked in a conservative and religious environment that was challenging for women and youth activists. Karbala's status as a holy city in Shia Islam and the influence of pro-Iran militias in the government challenged activists' ability to interact with government officials. The team included nine civic activists, four of whom were women, who were passionate about improving their community and addressing local issues. Together they identified five pressing community priorities: minimizing pressure on public services due to overpopulation and irregular migration, increasing youth activism, bolstering higher education and scientific research, increasing education for persons with disabilities, and highlighting social security and labor rights.

Initially, the Karbala team was skeptical of government officials' intentions and struggled to engage them. Based on NDI's coaching, the team decided to receive input from citizens in town halls and communicate the community's needs in separate one-on-one meetings with government officials. This helped define a roadmap for reaching clear, consensual, and realistic solutions to the community's priorities while limiting tensions between citizens and government officials with previous unproductive relationships.

After their town halls and meetings, the team developed policy papers to address their community's priorities. They mobilized their community through advocacy campaigns over social media reaching more than 30,000 citizens. The federal and local governments responded to the community's needs by developing a series of strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change on migration and overpopulation in Karbala, as well as developing new labor and social security laws that enhance Iraq's social safety net.

"I have learned that there are various ways of investing in our skills and what change we can achieve if we were organized and knowledgeable. I've also learned about the roles and responsibilities of the MPs and the executive officials, which is always misunderstood by the local communities and citizens." Ija Dorna participant from Karbala

The Ija Dorna team in Baghdad, Iraq's capital, made the Freedom of Expression Bill one of their priorities. According to rights groups, the pending draft law would empower the government to restrict dissent in Iraq. The team conducted roundtables with civil society activists, MPs, parliamentary advisors, and political parties. As their work progressed, the team decided to register as part of the Freedom of Expression Alliance, which includes non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil political actors, and pro-reform political parties that coordinate to stop government efforts to limit freedom of expression in Iraq. Joining the Alliance allowed the Ija Dorna team to quickly gain visibility and expand connections to other like-minded organizations in Iraq. As a result of its efforts, the Baghdad team gained the support of officials who are actively championing their recommendations within Iraq's government.

Following the successful implementation of their advocacy campaigns, the six teams became well recognized locally. Citizens contacted them directly to request that they expand their work to include more community priorities, such as improving public services in the Tuwairij district in Karbala and addressing water scarcity in Thi Qar. Many activists and volunteers requested to join Ija Dorna teams or establish them in other provinces.

The transformation in the activists' mindset about engaging decision-makers was a significant highlight of the program. Initially hesitant and mistrustful of elected and executive officials, these activists evolved to be collaborative partners, recognizing that addressing community priorities requires the involvement of all stakeholders, including decision-makers. Through NDI's comprehensive coaching and training, activists engaged over 1,000 decision-makers, organized 26 town halls and 16 roundtables, and conducted more than 400 meetings with individual executives and elected officials across the six provinces. Their efforts led to the development of 22 policy papers focused on solutions for members of vulnerable communities, such as women, youth, and people with disabilities. Around 20 of the recommendations in the policy papers were partially or fully adopted or recognized by government bodies. The key to this success was the activists' genuine commitment to their communities coupled with NDI's workshops on innovative outreach methods, advocacy techniques, and media utilization. This success is helping redefine the region by creating a network of credible activists who are now essential community assets.

The Ija Dorna program successfully utilized community-based activities to bridge the gap between citizens and decision-makers. NDI will continue supporting similar programming to capitalize on the Ija Dorna teams' achievements and build on the success of these citizen-centered initiatives.

Authors: Hardy Mahmood - Program Director, Saddam Sami - Program Manager, and Nathan Galloway - Program Associate

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