IOM promoting economic recovery and employment of women

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The proposed programme, implemented by IOM, will contribute to the economic recovery of Iraq through employment creation and revitalisation of local economies. The programme is designed to consolidate and reinforce achievements under previous livelihoods projects that were funded through other donors as well as support the linkage between sustainable livelihoods and sustainable (re)integration of displaced populations in Iraq. The programme will be composed of the following: (1) IOM’s EDF grants programme targeting specifically female-led businesses and businesses destroyed during the conflict; (2) Capacity-building for female entrepreneurs to exchange best practices and forge linkages among women to better manage and lead their business initiatives and activities; (3) Research and analysis on enhancing female participation in the work force, impacts of female participation in the workforce and related issues. In Iraq, more than half of returnee households fully rely on some sort of unstable income source and seasonal employment. It is thus a significant obstacle returnees face in every return setting. Women’s labour force participation in Iraq is extremely low: in 2020, only 13 per cent of women of working age in Iraq were either employed or looking for work. As the outcome of the project, affected populations have improved access to sustainable jobs opportunities through support to the private sector. IOM has been chosen because of their wide presence and footprint in Iraq and good results from the previously implemented projects using the EDF-approach. Since its launch in 2018, the EDF programme has provided support to over 1,000 SMEs and created over 5,000 sustainable job opportunities in 12 governorates across the country. Finland is the only donor in this project and a contribution will be 2 million euros for 12 months.