Head of the Department of Human Rights Meets Australian Ambassador to Iraq.

On 27/3/2022, Ambassador Dr Hisham Al-Alawi, Head of the Department of Human Rights, met the Australian Ambassador accredited to Iraq, Ms Paula Ganly, with the presence of Mr Partek Razusky, a diplomat at the embassy, at the Ministry’s headquarters.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr Al-Alawi expressed his appreciation for the Australian’s support to Iraq on several levels, especially in the field of human rights, and reviewed the efforts of governmental institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to address files related to the support and protection of human rights in Iraq, referring to the meetings that were held with the head of the UNAMI in Iraq, Ms Jeanine Blasschaert and the Director of the Human Rights Office, Ms Danielle Bell, to confirm Iraq’s firm commitment to the democratic approach and the protection of human rights gains.

The Ambassador referred to the Iraqi government’s measures to empower Iraqi women and protect them from all forms of violence and discrimination, and the efforts of the Iraqi government and parliament to legalise the Domestic Violence Act and protect children, the disabled and the elderly in accordance with the best humanitarian and social standards.

Ambassador Al-Alawi also confirmed that Iraq seeks to address many urgent files such as the missing and enforced disappearances, and the receipt of ISIS families in the camps by their countries, stressing the importance of the participation and cooperation of international bodies and organisations concerned with these files.

On her part, the Australian Ambassador, Ms Ganly, commended Iraq’s efforts to protect and consolidate human rights, and she affirmed Australia’s continued support and interest in the government’s efforts for the advancement of the Iraqi women, protecting them from violence, occupying prominent positions in the government, providing support to families who have suffered from the ISIS terror, and providing and compensating for the lack of children’s education in the light of the conditions of the war on terrorism, and the Covid-19 pandemic, and she expressed the readiness to exchange support and experiences with Iraq in these fields.