At the invitation of the Women’s Leadership Institute and in cooperation with the Presidency of the Republic, an expanded session was held on promoting equality in granting citizenship, with high-level participation.
The Women’s Leadership Institute, in cooperation with the Iraqi Presidency, organized an expanded session today to discuss ways to promote equality in granting citizenship. The session was attended by high-level representatives from several Iraqi ministries, including: Justice, Interior, Defense, Migration and Displacement, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Human Rights Commission, the Integrity Commission, the Juvenile Justice Center, the Iraqi Prison Administration, and representatives from international and local organizations.
The session featured in-depth contributions from the attending parties, reviewing the legal and practical challenges associated with stateless persons and highlighting ongoing efforts to address this sensitive humanitarian issue.
Key outcomes of the session:
- Emphasis on the need for urgent legislative reform to close legal loopholes affecting the granting of citizenship.
- Initial agreement between governmental and international bodies to launch a joint national and media campaign to promote the required amendments.
- Clear gaps in coordination between relevant stakeholders were identified, necessitating the proposal of a sustainable and joint working mechanism.
- Emphasis on the importance of documenting and monitoring cases of statelessness, with calls for expanded international and local participation in monitoring processes.
The Women’s Leadership Institute appreciates the response of a number of entities to calls for greater coordination and partnership, stressing the importance of continued official and institutional support to achieve full equality and guarantee the basic rights of all those affected by the loss of nationality.
