Drafting of Kurdistan Region NGO law draws on Lebanon’s experience

BEIRUT / IraqiNews.com: Visiting Lebanon to examine the role of civil society in a democratic state, stakeholders in a new NGO law for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq agreed Saturday on formulations for the draft law. Exchanges with Lebanese officials and civil society were concrete and fruitful and inspired further resolution to pass a Kurdistan RegionG law facilitating the work of NGOs. The three-day roundtable meeting was a follow up to a larger conference for Kurdistan RegionG and Iraqi national stakeholders on the NGO law in September and provided an opportunity for a smaller group of MPs and representatives of committees in charge of drafting the law from the Kurdistan Parliament to learn from Lebanon’s experience and develop the wording of the draft text. The visit, which was also attended by representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region and NGOs based in the Kurdistan Region, was organised by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in cooperation with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) with funding from the European Union (EU), the Government of Finland and other donors through the UNDG Iraq Trust Fund. Dr. Dana Said Sofi, Head of the Civil Society Committee of the Kurdistan Parliament, noted that “Lebanon has a good law that facilitates work of NGOs in particular when it comes to the registration process and funding system for the NGOs. The draft of the NGO law for the Kurdistan Region provides NGOs with a lot of space to carry out their activities, which brings it close to the Lebanese experience.” During the first day of the visit, participants met with representatives of the Lebanese Parliament and Civil Society, discussing the role  civil society plays in Lebanon, analysing the Lebanese law and practices governing the work of NGOs in the country. The Lebanese counterparts also provided comments on the current draft NGO law for the Kurdistan Region. The two remaining days were dedicated to concrete and detailed legal discussions, moderated by international experts, on principles and formulations of particular provisions. Dr. Azad Mula Afandi, Legal Advisor to the President of the Kurdistan Region, noted that the roundtable “was a good work. This kind of joint work between parliament, government and civil society reflects the real concept of preparing the laws. The participants [also] took a lot of advantages from the meeting with the Lebanese counterparts.” Optimistic to the progress of the process, he continued:. “This law is important – the Kurdistan Region is in a process of changing from a centralised to a democratic system of governance. The mentalities of many people are still not ready to accept new ideas but in the light of the changes that are happening it the Kurdistan Region, including the large number of NGOs operating there, there is a need for a new law on NGOs. The entire society is in favour of more openness and liberalism.” Mr. Hogr Chato Shekha, Coordinator of the NGO Network Maf, added that he was “grateful for the new approach on the side of the parliament and government, helping NGOs to participate in the law drafting process. This kind of participatory approach should be applied also to work on other laws.” At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants agreed on modifications to the draft law that will be used during upcoming proceedings at the Kurdistan Parliament. AmR/SR 102