Iraq’s National Action Plan was launched in February 2014 for the period 2014-2018, making it the first country in the MENA region to adopt a NAP. Its development was led by the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government with cooperation between the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense in Baghdad and Ministry of Interior and Women’s High Council in Kurdistan along with the Iraqi NAP1325 Initiative (I-NAP1325 Initiative). This initiative consists of women’s rights organizations and networks across Iraq and Kurdistan. The Iraqi NAP is unique in that it offers an extensive introduction and analysis of women in Iraqi society, and points out specific ways in legal, political, and economic arenas where women are discriminated against or marginalized. The substantive portion of the NAP is small relative to the introductory narrative, but the material that is provided is specific.
The second Iraqi National Plan for the period 2019-2023 is currently being drafted with the support of the UN Women Iraq Country office (Iraq National Reporting for Beijing+25, pg. 6). The second INAP 1325 is planned to also include the active participation of women in peace and security efforts and the prioritization of their needs in planning, programme development and implementation. The report will inform and guide the formulation of the second INAP (2019-2023) which will be launched by the Cross-Sector Task Force 1325 in 2019 (pg. 49).