EU Action Against Drugs and Organised Crime (EU-ACT 2) project organised a two-day workshop in cooperation with EUAM Iraq in Baghdad, focusing on the increasing participation of Iraqi women in the fight against organised crime. 

Together with female EU experts, representatives from the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, National Security Advisory and Ministry of Interior discussed opportunities and challenges faced by women working in intelligence, law enforcement, and the judiciary in combating drug-related and organised crime. 

There is still scepticism towards women working in security sector reform. The discussions emphasised the importance of appointing women to leadership roles, beyond administrative functions, and ensuring their inclusion in decision-making processes for security sector reforms process.

They also talked on strategic inclusion of women in the development of security sector policies and on women’s active and meaningful participation and representation in Iraqi institutions in the field of countering drug trafficking and organised crime.

Background: The European Union promotes women’s participation, human rights, peace, and security within and beyond its borders. The four-year EU-ACT 2, initiated in June 2023 and implemented by FIIAPP (Spain), CIVIPOL (France) and Carabinieri (Italy), actively seeks to increase the share of women, both at the participants and the expertise provider level