VNG International recently conducted a workshop in Iraq for the governorates of Duhok, Mosul, Erbil, and Shaikhan. The workshop served as a platform for government officials to present their action plans aimed at finding effective solutions for various issues within their respective directorates.

As part of the Sustainable Development through Local Governance (SDLG) programme in Iraq, VNG International is training two groups of government officials through a series of trainings and workshops. One group focuses on leadership styles and vision development and the other on community involvement and inclusive, participatory service delivery. The objective is to enhance the understanding of local leaders' roles and mandates in addressing migration and displacement issues, while also improving their capacities to carry out their responsibilities efficiently and effectively. Simultaneously, the workshop aimed to empower service-delivering departments and entities, enabling them to improve the future of their citizens by delivering inclusive services.

Building upon the success of the first training, conducted in March, VNG International organized a second-round workshop on June 19, 2023, to provide a platform for participants to showcase the action plans they had diligently prepared over the past two months. The event started with the national expert Qademkher Qadir Maruf, presenting a review of the training package. The package covered a range of essential topics, including leadership styles, social inclusion, governance principles, local government mandates, vision development, citizen participation, ethics, and change management. After that, the participants had the chance to present their action plans individually that were prepared in the last two months.

It is worth mentioning that the participants of the leadership styles workshop developed a vision for their own department or organization. At the same time, the participants of the community involvement and inclusive participation service delivery focused on the plans to strengthen inclusive governorate and/or citizen participation in their department or organization. Both groups prepare for different scenarios in their plans. This workshop serves as a preparation for the final workshop later this year.