Ineffective seed legislation and strategies are perceived as one of the most significant barriers to improving food security and agricultural production in Iraq. Reforms are desperately needed to establish standards related to the production, registration, and dissemination of seeds – thereby improving the limited access that farmers currently have to improved varieties. Improved varieties of seed are a key component of efforts to strengthen food security and raise productivity in Iraq: they can raise yields, resist disease, and tolerate debilitating conditions such as salinization and drought. Although Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture recognizes the importance of improved seed, its efforts to enhance distribution and strengthen farmer access are undermined by an ineffective regulatory and policy regime. Faced with enormous capacity constraints,…

Shams Network has released another new report (among a series of reports on the KRG elections) documenting the violations during the KRG elections that were held on 21 September 2013. The full report is attched in English.

The network issued its initial monitoring report of the KRG voting day, and it included observations about the process and the positive points that dominated the airspace, and the negative points that accompanied them along with the recommendations of the network. The Full report is attached (in Arabic).

The Shams Netwrok NGO, which operates in the KRG region in northern Iraq, has released a preliminary report on the state of the voting environment in the KRG before the elections. Full report is attached in Arabic

The Widows Training and Development Center (an Iraqi NGO) released two stories and case studies that reflect the reality facing Iraqi women today. The stories are attached and available in English and Arabic.

Thomson Reuters Foundation invites you to take part on an online survey of experts who can shine a light on the most pressing issues facing women in the Middle East and North Africa. The analysis is focused on the member countries of the Arab League and the questionnaire is based on the principles embodied in the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The survey is seeking professionals with knowledge on the issue - journalists, activists, academics etc. - to participate and support this project by spreading the message and circulate our survey within various networks. Links to the questionnaire: in English:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7JQSXXY in Arabic:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GQM3G8W in French:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GSKRJ6Y Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of…