With support from the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) and technical assistance from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Iraq Foundation is conducting a project to strengthen women’s participation in political life at the national and subnational levels, and to strengthen the capacity of women seeking public office.

The project comprises two phases. The first phase, which ran from 1 October 2019 to 15 February 2020, conducted needs assessments and research aimed at documenting and understanding the challenges and unmet needs of women who run for elected public office. Five governorates were examined in the first phase, namely Baghdad, Basra, Nenawa, Najaf and Salaheddin. These information, presented in the present report which documents the findings of the research that was carried out in the first phase of the project, will serve as a foundation for strategies and action plans to provide women with training and tools to successfully run for elected office.