Iraqi Government and Civil Society Leaders Participate In U.S. Program to Support Iraqi Widows and Female Heads of
Household
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 13, 2013
A delegation of five senior Iraqi government officials and civil society leaders is visiting Washington, DC, from June
13-20 to meet with U.S. counterparts to discuss ways to address the challenges facing widows and female heads of
household in Iraq. Conducted under the auspices of the Department of State’s Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative (IWDI),
the program will include meetings with U.S.-based experts on the needs and concerns of widows and female heads of
household, and training in topics such as social assistance and welfare, implementing national programs to support
vulnerable populations, developing frameworks for action and innovation to support women’s economic empowerment. While
in Washington, the Iraqi delegation will meet with senior U.S. Government officials to strengthen both countries’
understanding of the status of this disadvantaged and underrepresented segment of Iraqi society.
There are an estimated one to three million widows and single female heads of household in Iraq. One in ten households
in Baghdad is headed by a woman. To address the unique needs of this vulnerable population, the Department launched the
Secretary’s War Widows Initiative in 2009, which directs funds to NGOs in support of literacy, entrepreneurship, and
vocational skills for Iraqi widows and female heads of household. To date, the program has awarded $10 million in grants
that have covered a range of issues to build the capacity of Iraqi widows, improve NGO services to widows and their
children, and connect more widows to the Government of Iraq’s widow stipend program.
The IWDI was established in 2004 by the Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and the Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor to support Iraqi women’s political, economic, legal, and social advancement. Since its inception, the
IWDI has provided approximately $33 million in support of efforts to advance the status of Iraqi women.
ENDS