FNST

Successful conference in Iraq with political leadership of Kirkuk province

Erbil, Iraq – The Governor, Vice Governor and Head of the Provincial Council, along with 50 other decision makers and civil servants of the crisis-ridden Iraqi province of Kirkuk came together in Erbil on 10 December for the concluding meeting of the current Iraq project of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF).

The project to strengthen governance and administration in Kirkuk had started in summer 2010. It addressed the overwhelming need to improve public services in the province of Kirkuk, which - not unlike other parts of the country - suffers from an underdeveloped public sector. Said Falko Walde, the Foundation’s Project Coordinator in charge: “Kirkuk is a province facing unique political challenges. But, like everywhere else, its citizens call for efficient and transparent governance, administration and public service provision. In the last 18 months, we worked with our partners in Kirkuk on answering the citizens’ call.”

Twelve high-ranking decision makers from Kirkuk, Iraq visited Germany on a study tour organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF). During their six-day visit, the Iraqi guests studied the political structure, administration and public service delivery in the German province of Brandenburg: from the local to the provincial to the federal level.

On April 5th 2011, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation concluded its latest conference on Kirkuk, which was held in the framework of its ongoing project to support governance and local administration in the oil-rich Iraqi province. The conference was held at the Dead Sea in Jordan and brought together leading political decision-makers from Kirkuk and Baghdad. Facilitated by an international team of experts on matters ranging from constitutional law to public administration, the event was also attended by various observers from the United Nations, ICRC and other international NGOs that travelled to Jordan to observe the meeting, reflecting the interest that has been generated by the FNF-led process.

Since 2008, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation has been working continously with political leaders in Kirkuk to contribute to conflict prevention and good governance in what is one of Iraq's most important and contested provinces.

 

The latest workshop of FNF's Iraq project was held in Amman / Jordan from February 18th - 24th 2011. For the first time, the politicians were joined by civil servants, i.e. technocrats working in Kirkuk's public administration.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty remains committed to supporting Kirkuk and starts a comprehensive new project to strengthen governance and administration in the Iraqi province.

Berlin

An Expert Group Meeting (EGM) entitled “Between National Elections and US Withdrawal - Perspectives for Iraq" was convened in Berlin by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty. The EGM provided a forum for representatives of governments, development cooperation institutions, civil society, academia, private enterprise, media and more to discuss the situation in Iraq following the 7 March parliamentary elections, different scenarios for the country’s future and implications for the region and the international community.

Third Friedrich Naumann Foundation conference on the future of Kirkuk adopts signal political document

Meeting in the heart of the German capital and impressed by its history of political challenges, compromises and reconciliation of historic proportions, the 25 conference participants – leading political decision-makers representing all essential political movements of Kirkuk – discussed behind closed doors and in the absence of media coverage.In view of the political situation and dynamics in Iraq, time is of the essence. In opening the conference, Mr Reinhard Silberberg, State Secretary at the Foreign Office and Dr. Irmgard Schwaetzer, Member of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Board of Directors hence called upon the Iraqi guests to seize the opportunity and work constructively for the citizens of Kirkuk.

 

23 political decision makers from the city and governorate of Kirkuk in northern Iraq came together at the Dead Sea in Jordan from 1 December to 5 December 2008 for a conference titled “Facilitation of Governing Arrangements for Kirkuk”.

Facilitated by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation with financial support from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting took place in the context of the need to elaborate recommendations foreseen in Art. 23 of the Iraqi Provincial Elections Law. The main objective of the event was to build on the achievements of the May workshop on Kirkuk organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and thus continue the search for just and feasible power sharing arrangements and a peaceful co-existence in the governorate of Kirkuk.

Twenty-three leading politicians and civil society officials from Kirkuk representing the major communities and political parties, including members of the Provincial Council, accepted the Foundation’s invitation to attend a workshop in Amman, Jordan on 10 – 14 May, 2008.

The workshop was sponsored by the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations and supported by the Foreign Office of Germany.