IWEI Women Leaders Conference” “The Principles and Practices of Democracy” (Dead Sea, Jordan, April 2005)

The flagship of this program was held one year ago when we sponsored a historic event: the Iraqi Women Leaders Conference held in Jordan in April 2005. The objective of the Women Leaders Program was to identify, train, and support a core group of 150 pro-democracy Iraqi women who had the desire and potential to assume leadership roles throughout Iraqi society as politicians, senior bureaucrats, public-policy experts, and leaders of non-governmental organizations.

This gathering of pro-democracy women from all the regions, ethnicities and religions of Iraq was an unparalleled event for Iraqi women since the liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein. Over a period of a week, Kurds, Sunnis, Shiia, Christians and Jews worked side by side gaining not only a better understanding of the universal principles of democracy, but learning about each other’s issues and building coalitions for a continuing dialogue on democracy and constitution-making. IWEI is proud to say that many of the participants in the program went on to become parliamentarians, members of local councils and key figures in Iraqi civil society.

This conference was joined by two congressional delegations.  Representatives Kay Granger (R-TX) and Tom Osborne (R-NE), two of the three co-chairs of the Iraqi Women’s Caucus of the U.S. Congress, Susan Davis (D-CA), Judy Biggert (R-IL), Lincoln Davis (D-TN), Randy Neugbauer (R-TX), Bob Beauprez (R-CO), Mark Udall (D-CO), and Jeb Bradley (R-NH) all lent their expertise to the conference by teaching courses on “Democracy in Action.”  In so doing, the participants engaged in simulations that allowed them to learn how to make effective arguments in the public policy arena. Other sessions included constitutional design and federalism, universal principles of democracy, free media and democracy, women in leadership, economic freedom, fighting corruption, and elections, political parties and women.