RAJAA HAMID RASHID

Iraq – Yesterday, Tuesday, 22 September, the activities of the "From Idea to Project" initiative concluded. It was held in cooperation between the National Team for Iraqi Women and the Women's Empowerment Organization, at the headquarters of the Iraqi Banks Association in Baghdad, and included the launch of the best economic project initiatives submitted by women.

The event witnessed the attendance of a delegation from the Swedish Embassy, representatives of the Presidency of the Republic, a number of ministries, government institutions, and civil society organizations, in confirmation of the initiative's path aimed at supporting women in developing their entrepreneurial ideas and transforming them into implementable and sustainable economic projects, enhancing their economic participation opportunities, and creating sustainable income sources and job opportunities.

Economic Independence Enhances Women's Role

The General Coordinator of the National Team for Iraqi Women, Dafaf Al-Jarrah, confirmed in her speech that the National Team, since its establishment pursuant to the decision issued by the Supreme Council for Women on 9 August 2024, and the launch of its activities officially in October 2025, seeks to adopt a clear and purposeful path by building work tracks based on networking and integration with various sectors, foremost among them civil society organizations, and for the National Team to be a platform for linking women's energies and uniting efforts to implement national and international references, such as the National Strategy for Iraqi Women and the Sustainable Development Goals.

She explained that women's economic empowerment is not merely a developmental option, but represents a fundamental pillar and a real guarantee for securing their presence and effective participation in various forums and decision-making centers, confirming that independence and economic capability constitute two main factors for enhancing effective political and societal participation.

Empowering Women and Creating Opportunities

For her part, the President of the Women's Empowerment Organization, Suzan Aref, valued the fruitful cooperation between the Advisor to the Prime Minister for Women's Affairs, Ala Talabani, the National Team for Iraqi Women, government institutions, and civil society organizations.

She indicated that the "From Idea to Project" initiative combines capacity building, guidance, and practical application, and accompanies participants on a journey that begins with the idea and the opportunity, passing through designing and writing the proposal, reaching how to present the project and display it convincingly.

She explained that the importance of such initiatives increases when looking at the reality of women's economic participation in Iraq. She noted, according to World Bank data for 2025, that the participation rate of women aged 15 and over in the labor force in Iraq is about 10.9%, compared to 72.6% for men. She explained that this gap confirms the importance of investing in women's capabilities and expanding their opportunities for access to work, entrepreneurship, and economic resources.

She stressed that the Women's Empowerment Organization believes that women's economic empowerment is not limited to providing a source of income, but represents a fundamental entry point for enhancing economic independence, self-confidence, the ability to make decisions, and effective participation in economic and social development. She confirmed that the initiative consecrates the concept that women are not only beneficiaries, but active partners in development and creators of opportunities.

Suzan Aref concluded her speech by emphasizing that yesterday's event is not the conclusion of the initiative, but the beginning of a new path in which ideas turn into projects, projects into opportunities, and opportunities into success stories that can inspire other women.

Promising Women's Energies in Entrepreneurship

For her part, the representative of the Women's Empowerment Organization, Wathba Al-Tayyar, reviewed the stages of the initiative and its most prominent results, noting that the initiative received about 165 applications containing diverse ideas and projects, reflecting the scale of energies and ambitions that women possess and their desire to enter the fields of work, production, and entrepreneurship.

Wathba Al-Tayyar indicated, based on official data issued by the Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority, that the economic activity rate for women in Iraq is about 13.1%, compared to 65.9% for men.

She also explained that studies prepared by the Central Statistics Organization and the United Nations Development Programme showed that women face greater difficulties in obtaining financing compared to men, at a rate of 51% for small and medium enterprises. She noted that among the most prominent remedies and solutions to help women is providing a suitable environment for work in the private sector and small projects, alongside facilitating access to financing.

The event concluded with the presentation of the three winning projects, which are:

"Tamra" Project by entrepreneur Rusul Alaa Subhi: The project is based on producing and selling premium dates stuffed and covered with chocolate, adopting luxury packaging that raises their marketing value, and targeting broad segments of consumers in the fields of gifts and occasions.

"Girls' Hair" Project by entrepreneur Zainab Raad Jassim: It is based on sculpting custom shapes of cotton candy, including roses and cartoon characters, in malls and commercial centers, and targets families, children, and youth.

"Digital Value Chain Platform for Agri-Food (Value Chain)" Project by entrepreneur Nariman Hussein Mohammed: The project consists of developing a mobile application that connects farmers, suppliers, and food factories, and contributes to eliminating traditional intermediation (Al-Alwa).