Two-thirds of the thousands of civil organizations registered in Iraq are disabled (Al Jazeera)
Baghdad -
The Department of Non-Governmental Organizations of the General Secretariat of the Iraqi Council of Ministers registered 6,000 non-governmental organizations (civil society) over a period of 20 years, but two-thirds of them are ineffective for various reasons, the most important of which is the lack of funding that allows them to hold activities and events.
The department confirmed that there are only 1,500 active organizations, indicating that the government seeks to create an atmosphere for effective organizations to take the lead on the scene by implementing the provisions of the current law that outlines their mechanism of action.
The director general of the department, Ashraf Al-Dahan, said in press statements that his department does not support reducing the number of organizations and cited that it receives dozens of applications for registration daily, adding that it supports filtering out organizations that have no effect or actual presence.
Modification idea
The Director General of the Department, Ashraf Al-Dahan, pointed out the presence of organizations that worked "against Iraq by issuing reports targeting the country and the political process."
He confirmed that the department registered organizations after 2010, but they do not have a place or website, as they obtained a registration certificate and left their work since that time, and there is absolutely no communication with them.
He noted that the current government has great confidence in the work of organizations that play important societal roles in many files, the most important of which are research centers for opinion and decision-making.
Al-Dahan pointed out that there is an idea to amend Civil Society Law No. (12) of 2010, “which will not affect organizations that work properly by staying away from compromising the country’s security and not affecting its social customs and traditions.” He explained that amending the law could not pass without consulting the opinions of civil society organizations.
According to Article 2 of this law, it aims to “strengthen the role of civil society organizations, support and develop them, and maintain their independence, and to create a central mechanism to regulate the process of registering Iraqi and foreign non-governmental organizations.”
Anti-corruption activist Saeed Yassin Musa explains that there are 3 types of organizations:
Special interest organizations such as ethnic and religious associations.
Public benefit organizations.
Useless organizations such as political front organizations, organized crime, and terrorism.
Not enabled
Activist Musa told Al Jazeera Net that successive governments did not empower civil society organizations, and that all they did was register, and wanted the organizations to provide their services by relying on international funding, while since 2012 they have not legislated a national fund law to support them despite the first reading of the draft law.
On the other hand, Al-Dahan says that Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani is interested in the work of the organizations and clarifying the roles they play, because there is increasing trust between the organizations and the government, and the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers confirms that all civil organizations are registered according to the law, with all their designations and the nature of their work.
Regarding the nature of the work of civil organizations and the conditions for their official registration, Director of the Information Office of the General Secretariat, Haider Majeed, explains that the Department of Non-Governmental Organizations is the only official body responsible for registering local non-governmental organizations and branches of foreign organizations operating in Iraq.
He adds that it operates in accordance with Law No. (12) and there are 4,500 officially registered local organizations, and there are more than 1,000 branches of foreign organizations in Iraq, all of which carry many characteristics according to their specialization.
Majeed confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that there are many of these organizations that are ineffective, but the law allows the department to review the periodic quarterly and annual reports, both financial and administrative, and follow up on all the work and activities of these organizations.
He noted that if organizations are revealed to be ineffective, they are warned, their license is withdrawn, and they are not allowed to continue. Every organization has a reason for its ineffectiveness, including a lack or suspension of funding from donors.
Majeed also pointed out that the conditions required for registration are to choose a name for the organization and it must not be similar to another organization. It must also have a headquarters, a bank account and employees, in addition to being subject to security audits.
Activist Intisar Al-Mayali says that there is a political will to limit the role of non-governmental organizations (Al-Jazeera)
Restrictions
For her part, President of the Iraqi Women's League, Intisar Al-Mayali, explains that civil society organizations need more support by activating partnerships at the level of multiple sectors to create an integrated policy in raising awareness that Iraqi society needs.
Al-Mayali explained to Al-Jazeera Net that civil organizations face an unhealthy environment in terms of imposing some restrictions, or being prevented from entering institutions, and the absence of explicit directives that could raise the level of the organizations’ effectiveness.
The same speaker adds that although the role of organizations does not conflict with the customs or traditions of Iraqi societies with their differences and diversity, “there is a political will that has the upper hand in limiting their work and weakening their role under many arguments and allegations that amount to threats, and this is what makes their work decline due to the absence of a vision of importance.” "Her turn."
As for the head of the Iraqi Civil Action Organization, Abdul Hassan Al-Khafaji, he believes that 25% of the organizations operating in Iraq have activities, programs and influence, attributing the reasons for the cessation of the activities of most of them to the lack of funding from foreign organizations with the aim of financing their activities and paying the dues of their members and the rents for their offices.
He told Al Jazeera Net that the ineffectiveness of most organizations is also due to the lack of knowledge and awareness of the objectives of their voluntary and non-profit work among many of their founders before they begin registering them, and this makes them just a registration certificate only. He pointed out that the main funding for organizations is from international bodies, whether organizations, embassies or agencies.
Regarding the importance or necessity of making amendments to the law on non-governmental organizations, legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi confirms that the Civil Society Law issued in 2012 permitted the establishment of civil organizations after stipulating that each organization must have an internal system, objectives, a board of directors, and a headquarters for local and foreign organizations.
He considered the abundance of civil organizations - especially those of a humanitarian nature - to be a healthy phenomenon.
Al-Tamimi told Al-Jazeera Net that some organizations need oversight and follow-up to know the achievements achieved on the ground, and review the results within 3 to 5 years to find out what has been achieved through a committee in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, “Therefore, the law needs to be amended in this regard.”
Source: Al Jazeera