BAGHDAD – Defence University for Higher Military Studies (DUHMS), in collaboration with NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), organised a Women, Peace and Security workshop on Monday, Apr. 12, 2021 with the goal to support the Iraqi National Action Plan.
Iraq launched its Second National Action Plan (NAP) in December of last year with the approval of the Prime Minister of Iraq. The NAP shows Iraq’s commitment to advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda over the next 4 years.
The Working Group provided valuable insight into the current level of training on Women, Peace and Security within the educational institutions
Part of the NAP calls for the creation of course material on gender, the role of women in peace and conflict, as well as the application of gender perspective to military operations. It also calls for faculty to be trained to deliver the course and for it to be integrated into the course curriculum at various Ministry of Defense (MoD) educational institutions. The Head of the Iraqi MoD Women’s Empowerment Department requested NMI’s assistance with these action items.
Defence University for Higher Military Studies, in collaboration with NATO Mission Iraq organised a Women, Peace and Security workshop on Monday, Apr. 12, 2021 with the goal to support the Iraqi National Action Plan - NATO Photo by NATO Mission Iraq
In order to do this, NMI has partnered with the Canadian Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security. They have developed a deployable Women, Peace and Security Course for the United Nations, which meets the requirements for Iraq’s Second NAP; Iraq will be the first country in which this course is trialed. The President of the Defence University for Higher Military Studies (DUHMS) and the Head of the Ministerial Training and Development Center (MTDC) have given their full support for the initiative.
The course material is currently being adapted to align with the Iraqi specific context, requirements and culture-specific understanding of certain concepts. The course material will reference Iraqi policy and law. It will use case studies and topics of discussion that are relevant to the Iraqi MoD and teaching methods will be adjusted to best suit the Iraqi audience.
A Working Group was held where DUHMS and MTDC faculty members met with representatives from NATO Mission Iraq, Lieutenant Commander C. Gray and Major V. Nicolas, and the Canadian Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security.
“The Working Group provided valuable insight into the current level of training on Women, Peace and Security within the educational institutions, the process for integrating the course into the curriculum and best practices with respect to delivering instruction to an Iraqi audience,” said Major Nicolas, DUHMS Training Coordinator for NMI.