Iraq

P O L I C Y F O C U S

Considerable Human Rights Challenges 

Remain in Iraq

The next Iraqi government will face considerable human rights challenges as

it begins the difficult task of building democratic institutions and a political

process to unify a country fractured by ethnic, religious, and sectarian differences. Since 2003, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

(USCIRF) has worked with the White House, Department of State, and Congress to encourage strong human rights protections for every Iraqi within the framework of Iraq’s

transitional and permanent constitutions. Although the Commission plans to address

other aspects of the situation in Iraq in a forthcoming report, the current policy brief

focuses on specific recommendations that the U.S. government can implement immediately to assist Iraqis to:

•	 Strengthen and clarify human rights guarantees, including the right to freedom of religion

and belief, in the permanent constitution and in related implementing legislation; and

•	 Develop and strengthen the ability of Iraqi human rights institutions to implement

human rights guarantees for all Iraqis effectively and without discrimination.

Recommendations for Strengthening U.S. 

Efforts to Promote Human Rights in Iraq

A. Appoint a Senior Foreign Service Officer Responsible

for Promoting Human Rights within Iraq’s Emerging

Political and Legal System

The Administration recently identified strengthening rule of law and promoting civil

rights in Iraq as one of eight strategic pillars being advanced to ensure victory in Iraq.1 In

addition, in agreeing to “help the Iraqi people forge a broadly supported national compact

for democratic government,” the Administration has committed itself to assist Iraqis in

building “stable, pluralistic, and effective national institutions that can protect the interests

of all Iraqis.”2

The Commission supports these objectives, and has made one of its key recommendations on Iraq the appointment to Embassy Baghdad of a Senior Foreign Service

Officer to serve as the lead human rights official responsible for the promotion of human

rights in discussions with the new Iraqi government. This individual’s responsibilities

would focus on:

•	 Encouraging incorporation of human rights principles during Iraq’s constitutional and

legal reconstruction, and especially working to secure specific protections for freedom

of thought, conscience, and religious belief, and women’s equality in the constitutional

amendment period;

•	 Serving as the point of contact for Iraqi human rights institutions, including the Minister

for Human Rights and the Human Rights Commission, and assisting these institutions

in consolidating their roles within the emerging political structure;

•	 Exerting a human rights perspective across all levels of American engagement and programs with Iraq and coordinating U.S. human rights efforts with the United Nations and

other concerned countries; and

•	 Facilitating access to American expertise and other assistance to support Iraq’s effort to

confront human rights challenges during the transition period.

The U.S. 

Commission on 

International 

Religious Freedom 

was created by 

the International 

Religious Freedom 

Act of 1998 to 

monitor the status of 

freedom of thought, 

conscience, and 

religion or belief 

abroad, as defined 

in the Universal 

Declaration of 

Human Rights and 

related international 

instruments, 

and to give 

independent policy 

recommendations 

to the President, 

Secretary of State, 

and Congress.

visit our web site at 

www.uscirf.gov

SUMMER 2006

U n i t e d S t a t e s C o m m issio n o n I n t e r n a t io n a l R e li g ious F r e e d o m
P O L I C Y   F O C U S i r a q

Given the importance of these tasks

during the next phase of political development in Iraq, the high-level advisor should

be a member of the Senior Foreign Service

with requisite experience and rank; head an

organizationally distinct unit independent

of the Embassy’s Political Section, with appropriate support staff based out of the embassy and its four constituent posts across

Iraq; and report directly to the Ambassador as a member of the Embassy’s Country

Team. Finally, ensuring the success of this

position requires that the high level official

not be “double-hatted” with other responsibilities, but rather, tasked uniquely with

the promotion of human rights across relevant Iraqi political, judicial, and civil institutions. This step would ensure that other

competing policy priorities would not encroach on this vital mandate.

In November 2005, the Congress expressed support for the Commission’s

proposal and its expectation that within

Embassy Baghdad:

[One] Senior Foreign Service

Officer who reports directly to the

Ambassador will be assigned as the

lead human rights official in Baghdad. This officer should be tasked

with encouraging incorporation of

human rights principles during Iraq’s

constitutional and legal reconstruction, and especially to secure for all

individuals strong human rights

provisions, including freedom of

thought, conscience, religion or belief, and due process of law, through

the Iraqi legal system and the implementation of the Iraqi constitution.3

It remains up to the State Department to

implement this recommendation by appointing an appropriate individual to the position.

the Commission recommends that: 

The Administration: 

• Immediately appoint and dispatch a Senior 

Foreign Service Officer to Embassy Baghdad to 

serve as the lead human rights official, per the 

Commission’s recommendation and as endorsed 

by Congressional report language.

B. Support the Iraqi Human

Rights institutions

Together with strengthening the capacity of the United States to engage in

high-level interactions concerning the

development of human rights in Iraq, efforts should be made on the ground to

assist Iraqi institutions mandated with

advancing and enforcing human rights

protections for Iraqi citizens.

Foremost among the new Iraqi human

rights institutions requiring assistance is

the Ministry of Human Rights. During the

most recent transitional period, the ministerial post for this Ministry was filled by

an acting minister and also left vacant for a

significant amount of time during a period

that could have benefited from a permanent appointment. Downgrading the significance of this position does a disservice

to a Ministry that is unique in the region

and potentially can serve as an important

ally in promoting democracy and international human rights standards for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

To be certain, the timely appointment

of a respected individual to head the Ministry of Human Rights in the coming government can ensure that human rights in Iraq

is given its due attention, and can further

serve to clarify and entrench a ministerial

mandate that includes not only retrospective human rights concerns, but the development and enforcement of human rights

protection now and in the future.

In addition to the acute need for

a respected and adequately supported

Minister of Human Rights, attention

must be focused within the Ministry at

large. Through the Department of State’s

Iraq Reconstruction Management Office

(IRMO)4, U.S. advisors are posted to various Iraqi government ministries. However,

according to information obtained by the

Commission, as of February 2006, U.S.

advisor posts within the Iraqi Ministry of

Human Rights continue to remain vacant.

In fact, of the nearly two dozen Iraqi ministries, the Ministry of Human Rights is

one of only two that is without an IRMO

advisor. As a contrary example, there are at

least two U.S. advisors attached to the Iraqi

Ministry for Youth and Sports.

A U.S. advisor should be appointed to

the Ministry of Human Rights immediately, particularly in light of the Administration’s expressed commitment to building

“stable, pluralistic, and effective national

institutions that can protect the interests

of all Iraqis, and facilitate Iraq’s full integration into the international community.”5 As the Administration sets out in its

National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, one

strategic objective in helping to strengthen

rule of law and promote civil rights in Iraq

is ensuring that the government “reforms

its legal system and develops institutions

capable of addressing threats to public order.”6 Effective participation by the

Ministry of Human Rights in formulating

such reforms is critical to ensuring respect

for human rights throughout the legal system and in the government’s response to

threats to public order.

the Commission recommends that:

The Administration:

• Immediately appoint one or more U.S. advisors 

under the Department of State’s Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (IRMO) to serve as 

liaisons to the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights.

• Urge Iraqi leaders and directly support efforts to:

- Establish effective Iraqi institutions 

to protect human rights in accordance 

with international standards, including 

the establishment of an independent and 

adequately financed national human rights 

commission; 

- Undertake transparent and effective 

investigations of human rights abuses, including abuses stemming from sectarian, 

religiously motivated, and other violence by 

Iraqi security forces and others; and

- Enhance efforts to bring perpetrators of 

such abuses to justice.

C. Urge the Adoption of

Constitutional Amendments

to Strengthen Human

Rights Protections for

All Iraqis

The Commission believes that ambiguous and potentially problematic constitutional provisions, as currently drafted,

coupled with ongoing religiously-motivated

sectarian violence in Iraq, underscore the

need for constitutional amendments that

would clarify and strengthen human rights,

as well as the promotion of implementing legislation to protect and enforce these

rights. Such legislation should safeguard the

right of every person to freedom of thought,

conscience, and religion or belief, as well as

establish an impartial and objective judiciary. In the face of Iraq’s history of tyranny

and the difficult efforts by those Iraqis who

continue to support pluralism and freedom,

these concerns are not merely theoretical.

They are essential for genuine democracy

and peace.

The new Iraqi constitution provides

for the creation of a parliamentary committee that will have four months to develop and recommend constitutional

amendments to the Council of Representatives. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad

has observed that such amendments,

USCIRF

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particularly those “­emphasizing national

unity and individual rights,” will be crucial for broadening support among Iraqis

for the constitution.7

To ensure that human rights principles are emphasized in governance and

strengthened within the constitution, the

Commission recommends that a series of

constitutional amendments be prioritized

by the U.S. government and other concerned

international actors as a basis for dialogue

with the next Iraqi government and the constitutional amendment committee. These

amendments are based on a legal analysis of

Iraq’s new constitution undertaken by the

Commission in October 2005.8

i) Art. 2: Concerning the Role of Islam and 

Basic Freedoms

•	 Strengthen protection of human rights

by specifying that no law shall contradict “the rights and basic freedoms stipulated in this constitution, including the 

principles of equality and nondiscrimination, or the human rights guaranteed 

under international agreements to which 

Iraq is a state party.”

•	 Clarify and expand the provision guaranteeing “full religious rights” of all

individuals to explicitly guarantee the 

full rights of all individuals to freedom 

of religion, belief, and practice.

ii) Art. 41: Concerning Personal 

Status Issues

•	 Provide that one civil law clearly applies

to all Iraqis regardless of religion, on

matters of personal status such as marriage, adoption, divorce, and inheritance, and that the free and informed

consent of both parties is required to

move a hearing regarding personal status to any religious court system.

•	 Ensure equality and non-discrimination within the religious court system,

and affirm that religious court rulings

are subject to the final review of Iraq’s

civil courts.

•	 Provide that judges appointed to the religious courts meet international standards with respect to judicial training.

iii) Art. 42: Concerning Freedom 

of Thought

•	 Omission of the term “religion” from

the bill of rights guarantee safeguarding freedom of thought, conscience,

and belief may facilitate a judicial ruling permitting the practice only of “divinely revealed” religions. Accordingly,

“religion” should be added to the list of

freedoms protected under art. 42.

iv) Art. 45: Concerning Civil Society

•	 This article has the potential to be a

positive provision insofar asit promotes

the role of civil society organizations in

facilitating democratic development

and the exercise of human rights. However, a provision should be added to ensure that no regulation of civil society

organizations shall impede the free exercise of the right to freedom of assembly, association, and other fundamental

rights and freedoms. This amendment

is particularly important given reports

of legislative efforts already underway

to restrict the organization and operation of nongovernmental organizations

(NGOs) in Iraq.9

v) Art. 49: Concerning Limitations 

on Rights

•	 Remove art. 49 from the constitution

since it enables parliament to restrict

or limit the practice of all rights or liberties stipulated therein, provided the

“essence” of the right is not violated.

•	 Alternatively, qualify that any limitation on a right or liberty shall comply

with the standards set forth under the

International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights and other international human rights treaties to which Iraq

is a party.

vi) Art. 91: Concerning the Appointment 

of Judges to the Supreme Court

•	 Remove the possibility of making

appointments to the Federal Supreme Court based on an individual’s

training in Islamic jurisprudence

alone. At a minimum, require that all

judges have training in civil law.

•	 Clarify the appointment procedure to

specifically state that a 2/3 majority

of parliament is required to appoint a

judge to the Federal Supreme Court.

•	 Provide a guarantee that the judiciary

will be an institution representative of

all Iraqis.

vii) Art. 101: Concerning the High Commission for Human Rights

•	 Clearly provide for the independence of the High Commission for

Human Rights.

•	 Remove monitoring by the Council

of Representatives.

•	 Include reference to the UN Paris Principles as the basis for the High Commission’s functions and operations.10

•	 Finally, an effort should be made to

encourage the Iraqi government to

include a constitutional amendment

which extends to all individuals all the

rights provided in the international

human rights treaties to which Iraq is

a party.

D. Re-allocate Iraq Relief

& Reconstruction Funds to

Support Human Rights

Although it appears the Administration has chosen not to seek new funds for

the development of human rights programs

in Iraq in its most recent budget request to

Congress, there is reportedly between $1.2-

1.7 billion in uncommitted funds remaining from the original $18.4 billion Iraq

Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF)

appropriation from 2003.11A portion of this

uncommitted funding should be reallocated to non-construction projects designed to

promote human rights, including freedom

of religion, within Iraq.12 Currently, only

$15 million from the original IRRF $18.4

billion appropriation has been allocated

specifically to human rights.13 Of this sum,

approximately $4 million remains unobligated.14 Additional human rights-related

activities are being funded under the rubric

of “democracy-building activities,” and

here too, unobligated funds remain available into 2006.

The State Department’s most recent

report to Congress on IRRF makes only

a single specific mention of addressing

religious freedom concerns in Iraq, in the

USCIRF

3

USCIRF Vice Chair Felice D. Gaer with Dr. Muhsin Abdul

Hameed, Chairman of the Iraqi Islamic Party
P O L I C Y   F O C U S I r a q

context of work undertaken by the U.S.

Institute of Peace.15 Previous State Department updates provide no information or

reference to specific activities undertaken

for the promotion of religious freedom. It

should be noted that the IRRF specifically

requires the State Department to work,

“in conjunction with relevant Iraqi officials, to ensure that a new Iraqi constitution preserves the full rights to religious

freedom and tolerance of all faiths.”16 Yet,

on the whole, the vast majority of human

rights-related projects are limited to law

enforcement training, infrastructure improvements within the criminal justice

system, and retrospective investigations of

the previous regime’s human rights violations. While the Commission appreciates

the significance of these projects, it concludes that in tandem with these activities,

concrete steps need to be taken to build a

culture of individual human rights within

the emerging Iraqi political and legal system, particularly with respect to freedom

of religion or belief.

Given the will of Congress expressed

in the IRRF, and the availability of unobligated funds, the Commission recommends

that, during the upcoming constitutional

amendment and legislative implementation phase, a team of legal advisors with

expertise in human rights, including religious freedom, should be deployed to

Iraq through USAID and/or another U.S.

contractor and made available for consultations with Iraqi legislators.17 Such a commitment is critical at this stage since, based

on information obtained by the Commission, USAID funds already allocated forthe

next stage of Iraq’s political reconstruction

will not be used for similar human rightsrelated activities.

In light of the critical need to ensure

a successful emerging political framework,

it is imperative that the Administration

expressly direct project funding for the

purpose of providing “on the ground” expert human rights consultants during the

amendment and implementing legislation

drafting period. As Ambassador Khalilzad remarked in a recent op-ed, “the next

[Iraqi] government must put more emphasis on human rights.”18 One means of

ensuring that this emphasis occurs is by

giving the Iraqi government access to legal

expertise with up to date human rights

training related to domestic legislation

and implementation programs, as well as

international human rights treaty obligations and standards.

the Commission recommends that: 

The Administration:

• Direct unobligated Iraq reconstruction funds 

to deploy a group of human rights experts for 

consultations with the Iraqi Council of Representatives and the constitutional amendment 

committee, and to assist with legal drafting and 

implementation matters related to strengthening human rights provisions, including freedom 

of thought, conscience, and religion or belief.

• Declare a proportional allocation of funds for ChaldoAssyrian communities, ensure that the use of 

these funds are determined by independent ChaldoAssyrian national and town representatives, and 

establish direct lines of input by such independent 

ChaldoAssyrian structures into the allocation process of the Iraqi central government in Baghdad, 

separate from the Kurdish Regional Government.

• Promote and prioritize, in all reconstruction programs for Iraq and in contacts with Iraqis, coalition partners, and other potential donors including 

the United Nations, an Iraqi political system that 

respects freedom of religion and belief, endorses 

equality for women, and guarantees the universal 

human rights of all Iraqis, including members of 

religious minorities and individual women.

• Fund workshops and training sessions on religion/

state issues for Iraqi officials, policymakers, legal 

professionals, representatives of non-governmental 

organizations, religious leaders, and other members 

of key sectors of society who will have input on the 

permanent constitution and its implementation.

• Establish an Iraqi visitors program through the 

State Department to focus on exchange and education opportunities in the United States related 

to freedom of religion and religious tolerance for 

Iraqi officials, policymakers, legal professionals, 

representatives of non-governmental organizations, religious leaders, and other members of key 

sectors of society. 19

The Congress:

• Ensure continued funding through Fiscal Year 

2007 for democracy and governance programs 

in Iraq, including the specific programs discussed herein.

• Invite Iraqi legislators to attend meetings and interact with U.S. legislators and other policymakers on human rights and religion/state issues.

E. Build International

Support for Strengthening

Human Rights in Iraq

In the Commission’s view, it is imperative that Iraq’s next government be

made aware of its international treaty

obligations and provide that appropriate

human rights standards are incorporated

into enabling legislation related to the

permanent constitution and other issues,

including personal status. The fact that

the permanent constitution provides for

a four-month time frame during which

amendments may be proposed, offers the

U.S. and the international community an

opportunity to engage Iraqi lawmakers.

With a view to engaging Iraqis successfully and through multiple channels during

the upcoming amendment period, the Administration should press the international

community to increase financial and technical support for Iraqi human rights institutions, including the national human rights

commission, the Ministry of Human Rights,

and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, as well

as for the Iraqi judiciary.

In tandem with this, as a practical example, the Administration should encourage the Iraqi government to invite the UN’s

Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion

or Belief to visit Iraq. Such a trip could be

undertaken in a consultative capacity, to

provide the Iraqi government with independent recommendations on how best to

ensure that the constitutional, legislative,

and judicial frameworks now being resolved

will complywith internationalstandardsfor

protecting freedom of thought, conscience,

and religion or belief.

the Commission recommends that:

The Administration:

• At the highest levels, urge the next Iraqi government and parliament to strengthen human rights 

guarantees (see previous recommendations in 

part C above) by consulting with international 

human rights experts during the constitutional 

amendment process and the drafting of implementing legislation related to human rights and 

religion/state matters.

• Urge Iraq’s new government and Council of Representatives to include underrepresented religious 

minorities, including Sunnis and Christians, in the 

work of the constitutional amendment committee.

• Encourage the UN and its human rights mechanisms to take a more assertive role in advocating adherence to international human rights 

standards during the upcoming phase of political 

transition, including deploying human rights experts to consult with Iraqis on potential amendments to the constitution, and on the drafting of 

relevant enabling legislation.

• Urge the Iraqi government to reconsider a proposed new law regulating non-governmental 

organizations, drafted by the Ministry of Civil Society, which reportedly imposes harsh restrictions 

on both national and international civil society 

organizations; any regulations should comport 

with international human rights standards.

USCIRF

4
To Contact the Commission:

United States Commission on 

International Religious Freedom

800 North Capitol St., NW, Suite 790

Washington, DC 20002

Web site: www.uscirf.gov

E-mail: communications@uscirf.gov

Voice: 202-523-3240 

Fax: 202-523-5020

MICHAEL CROMARTIE, CHAIR

Vice President, Ethics and Public Policy Center

FELICE D. GAER, VICE CHAIR

Director, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement 

of Human Rights, The American Jewish Committee 

NINA SHEA, VICE CHAIR

Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, 

Freedom House

PREETA D. BANSAL, COMMISSIONER

Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, 

COMMISSIONER

Archbishop of Denver 

KHALED ABOU EL FADL, COMMISSIONER

Professor of Law at UCLA

RICHARD D. LAND, COMMISSIONER 

President and CEO of the Ethics and Religious Liberty 

Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention 

ELIZABETH H. PRODROMOU, COMMISSIONER

Associate Director of the Institute on Culture, 

Religion, and World Affairs and Assistant Professor of 

International Relations, Boston University

BISHOP RICARDO RAMIREZ, COMMISSIONER

Bishop of the Diocese of Las Cruces, 

New Mexico

JOHN V. HANFORD III, 

EX-OFFICIO, 

NON-VOTING COMMISSIONER

Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious 

Freedom, U.S. Department of State

JOSEPH R. CRAPA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Commissioners

P O L I C Y   F O C U S i r a q

USCIRF

5

USCIRF Recommendations 

Related to Reconstruction Efforts

With regard to reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the

Commission recommends that the U.S. government:

•	 Ensure that U.S. funding and other forms of support are not going to Iraqi political

parties or other organizations that advocate or condone policies at odds with Iraq’s international human rights obligations, or whose aims include the destruction of such international rights guarantees.

•	 Give clear directives to American officials and recipients of U.S. democracy building

grants to assign priority to projects that seek to encourage the inclusion of effective

human rights guarantees for every Iraqi in the permanent constitution and its implementing legislation. Also emphasize projects that promote multi-religious and multiethnic efforts to address religious tolerance and understanding, and knowledge among

Iraqis about universal human rights standards.

•	 Address with regional Kurdish authorities reports of expropriation of ChaldoAssyrian

property, and seek assurances that there will be no official discrimination practiced

against minority communities.

USCIRF Vice Chair Felice D. Gaer with Dr. Mouaffak Al-Rubaie, Iraq National Security Advisor

Iraqi Governing Council members celebrate the signing of Iraq’s interim Constitution,

March 8, 2004 (Peter Andrews, Reuters)
Conclusion

Implementing the above recommendations will enable the United States to demonstrate support for an Iraqi commitment

to human rights, and will signal to the next

Iraqi government—and to the Iraqi people—that the strengthening of human rights

principles and related institutions is a priority of the first order. These recommendations

can also signal to Iraqi minorities, including

alienated Sunni Muslims, that any emerging government in Iraq will be expected to

adhere to universal principles that protect

individual rights and ensure equality and

non-discrimination for all Iraqis.

endNotes

1	 National Security Council, National Strategy for Victory in Iraq,

Nov. 29, 2005, at 25.

2	 Ibid. at 8.	

3	 Joint Explanatory Statement, Conference Report on H.R. 2862, Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,

2006 (H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 109-275), available at http://www.rules.house.

gov/109/text/hr2862cr/109_hr2862cr.htm.

4	 According to the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, IRMO is “the primary Department of State entity involved

with [Iraq Reconstruction and Relief Fund (IRRF)] projects and is thus inherently responsible for the coordinative supervision and general direction

of the [IRRF] sustainment effort.” Office of the Special Inspector General

for Iraq Reconstruction, Managing Sustainment for Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund Programs, Report No. SIGIR-05-022 (Oct. 24, 2005) available at http://www.sigir.mil/pdf/05-022_Sustainment_IRRF.pdf.

5	 National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, supra note 1.

6	 Ibid. at 36.

7

	 Zalmay Khalilzad, “The Challenge Before Us,” Wall Street Journal,

Jan. 9, 2006, at A-12.

8

	 For a detailed human rights analysis of the Iraqi constitution, see USCIRF, Iraq’s Draft Permanent Constitution: Analysis & Recommendations,

and accompanying press release, USCIRF, Analysis of Proposed Iraqi Constitution: Ambiguities in Text Threaten Human Rights Protections, available on the Commission’s website.

9

	 The State Department has noted that future U.S. financial assistance

should increasingly focus on strengthening Iraqi civil society’s capacity “to

counter increasing efforts by state institutions and actors to limit the scope

of civil society’s activities and ability to ensure government transparency

and accountability.” U.S. Dept. of State, Section 2207 Report Quarterly Update to Congress on Iraq Relief and Reconstruction, 14 (Jan. 2006), available at http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rpt/2207/ [hereinafter Quarterly

Update to Congress on Iraq Relief and Reconstruction].

10	 “Principles Relating to the Status and Functioning of National Institutions for Protection and Promotion of Human Rights” (Paris Principles).

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For additional information on this issue contact: 

Robert C. Blitt, International Law Specialist

202-523-3240 ext. 40

rblitt@uscirf.gov

These principles were endorsed by the Commission on Human Rights in

March 1992 (Resolution 1992/54) and by the UN General Assembly in its

resolution A/RES/48/134 of Dec. 20, 1993 available at http://www.unhchr.

ch/html/menu6/2/fs19.htm#annex.

11	 Pub. Law 108-106, 117 Stat. 1209 (Nov. 6, 2003). Ellen Knickermeyer,

“U.S. Has End in Sight on Iraq Rebuilding”, Washington Post, Jan. 2, 2006, at

A-1. Stephen Farrel, “Iraq Must Rebuild Itself After Fund is Exhausted”, Times 

Online, Jan. 3, 2006, available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-6047-1967506-6047,00.html.

12	 The IRRF originally included provision of $280,000,000 for education, refugees, human rights, and governance projects.

13	 Quarterly Update to Congress on Iraq Relief and Reconstruction, supra

note 9 at 21.

14	 Ibid. at I-110.

15	 USCIRF participated in a U.S. Institute of Peace-organized conference in Amman, Jordan in 2005 for Iraq’s religious and ethnic minority

leaders.

16	 Pub. Law 108-106, 117 Stat. 1226 (Nov. 6, 2003). This obligation transferred from the Coalition Provision Authority to the Department of State

following the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government at

the end of June 2004.

17	 Potentially, this could be achieved by way of a specific State Department

grant to a group of human rights consultants. Alternatively, the U.S. Agency for

International Development could be tasked with providing support programs

focused on those pieces of enabling legislation that are related to human rights

issues.

18	 Zalmay Khalilzad, “After the Elections”, Washington Post, Dec. 15,

2005, at A-33.

19	 For example, programs could be designed for legislators, Ministry of

Human Rights officials, and civil society leaders on implementing constitutional legislation to promote human rights; and for religious and civil society leaders, and journalists on the role of civil society in protecting human

rights, including freedom of religion, in a diverse society.