Written question asked by Lord Judd (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Brett (Labour) on Thursday, 22 January 2009.

Iraq: Women

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their plans for extending support for the role of women in civil society in Iraq.

Answer: The UK supports a wide range of organisations and projects to develop the role of women in civil society in Iraq, including supporting the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights and Women. As part of this, the Department for International Development's (DfID) focus remains on the most vulnerable women through humanitarian contributions to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Organisation for Migration (IoM), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The Iraqi constitution includes provisions protecting the rights of women. The UK Government will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities to ensure these rights are protected. Officials at our embassy in Baghdad, the FCO and the right honourable Ann Clwyd MP, the PM's special envoy for human rights in Iraq, regularly raise women's rights with the Iraqi Government at all levels.

Secondary information