LFIQ Joint President appeals for support for Iraqi unions

Non-Governmental Organisations (Iraq)

2. Mr. David Anderson (Blaydon) (Lab): What support his Department is providing to non-governmental organisations in Iraq.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Shahid Malik): Since 2004, the Department for International Development has provided £20.5 million to strengthen Iraqi civil society. Recipient organisations have included those working on minority and women’s rights, as well as wider human rights. Current support includes a programme run by the BBC World Service Trust to foster an independent media in Iraq. DFID is also providing £17 million this year for humanitarian assistance, much of which is allocated, either directly or through the UN, to non-governmental organisations in Iraq.

Mr. Anderson: I thank the Minister for that response. Is he aware that last year his Department withdrew funding from support for trade union development in Iraq because of the

“sectarian violence engulfing the country at the moment”?

Clearly, the security situation is better now. Will he agree to meet trade unions from Iraq and Britain to try to move the issue forward again?

Mr. Malik: Trade unions are a vital part of any democracy. That is why my hon. Friend is right to say that, between 2004 and 2007, DFID provided through Unison training for trade union leaders and helped to establish a trade union resource centre in Iraq. This programme came to a natural end in 2007, which coincided with a spike in violence preventing us from renewing the programme. Since then we have successfully focused on supporting the Iraqi Government to provide essential services to their own people and stimulating private sector investment. In April, I met Governor al-Waili, the governor of Basra, who expressed his optimism about the future of Iraq. I assure my hon. Friend that as security improves, we will continue to assess how we can best support increased prosperity and stability in Iraq, including opportunities to work with trade unions.