LocationsWomen’s civil society and environmental defenders strengthen their voice in Iraq’s policy and decision-making
From Analysis to Impact: Turning Environmental Challenges into Action
September 29, 2026
Photo: UNDP / Iraq
What happens when environmental concerns move beyond awareness and become evidence, advocacy and action?
That question shaped a two-day workshop held in Baghdad on 12–13 August 2026, bringing together members of the Iraqi Women for a Sustainable Environment Alliance, alongside representatives from government, academia and other stakeholders.
The workshop, “From Analysis to Impact: Capacity Building in Integrated Planning and Advocacy for More Equitable and Sustainable Development,” aimed to strengthen analytical and advocacy capacities, support women’s participation in environmental decision-making, and build stronger links between civil society, government and academia. The workshop brought together 21 Alliance members on the first day and 30 female and male participants on the second day.
From local problems to policy conversations
The discussions began with the environmental realities communities face in Iraq, exploring how these challenges intersect with equality between men and women, climate action, governance and peace. Participants examined environmental rights and legal frameworks, the role of women environmental defenders, and opportunities for meaningful participation in public decision making.
Photo: UNDP / Iraq
A central theme was integrated planning: looking beyond individual activities to understand the problem, the people affected, available data, partners, resources, sustainability and expected results. Through practical exercises, participants reviewed a proposed community garden and considered how equality between men and women, water management, maintenance and partnerships could be incorporated into its design.
Addressing Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women
The workshop also highlighted the growing risks that digital harassment, disinformation and online abuse pose to women environmental defenders, potentially limiting their ability to participate safely in advocacy and public decision-making.
In response, participants emphasized the importance of strengthening the monitoring and documentation of violations, promoting safer digital engagement, and advancing efforts to protect women environmental defenders in line with Human Rights Council Resolution 40/11 (2019).
Evidence gives advocacy a stronger foundation
On the second day, attention shifted from knowledge to advocacy and influence. Participants explored advocacy as an organized process for influencing policies, programmes, laws and decisions through evidence, coalition-building and dialogue with decision-makers.
Water scarcity emerged as the first environmental priority identified for advocacy campaigns, alongside environmental legislation and laws. Participants also highlighted the importance of reliable, documented and sex-disaggregated data in informing policy and programme decisions, identifying partnerships with universities and other institutions as essential to strengthening the evidence base.
The training highlighted three interconnected pathways for effective advocacy: generating evidence and knowledge; building coalitions and campaigns; and monitoring implementation and accountability. Together, these approaches can help civil society move from identifying environmental challenges to proposing solutions, engaging decision-makers and following up on results.
Building partnerships for environmental action
The workshop created opportunities for direct dialogue among civil society representatives, government officials, academics and experts. Panel discussions explored environmental and water-related challenges, the role of women and community-led initiatives, and how government institutions and civil society can contribute to stronger environmental and climate action.
Photo: UNDP / Iraq
The exchanges reinforced a practical message: environmental challenges are closely linked to development, rights and community stability. Addressing them sustainably requires cooperation among institutions, civil society, academia and local communities.
From training to continued action
The workshop marked an important step towards expanding the Alliance’s role beyond awareness-raising and local initiatives to include advocacy, policy dialogue and contributions to environmental policies and legislation.
The follow-up process translated these priorities into concrete actions. On 19 August, participants identified environmental legislation and laws as a key advocacy priority. On 24 August, an in-person meeting with experts and decision-makers was held to formulate the Executive Advocacy Action Plan. On 26 August, the plan was finalized and approved, and field implementation began.
The action plan identified practical areas for continued engagement, including strengthening coordination with government institutions and universities, supporting field research and the collection of reliable environmental data, prioritizing water scarcity and sustainable water resource management, and fostering cooperation with the Environmental Police and Women’s Affairs Departments.
It also highlighted opportunities to use digital tools to document initiatives and share environmental data, build more sustainable partnerships, and mobilize financing for local environmental initiatives.
The experience underscored an important principle: meaningful environmental action is not only about identifying problems. It is about generating evidence, bringing people together, engaging institutions and translating community knowledge into practical proposals that can inform decisions and drive change.
From analysis to impact, the next step is turning knowledge into sustained action.
The workshop was implemented under UNDP Iraq’s initiative, “Enhancing Political Participation and Civil Society Impact of Women and Environmental Human Rights Defenders for a Just and Green Future,” aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 5, 13 and 16.
Special thanks to Denmark, Luxembourg and the Republic of Korea, partners to UNDP’s Funding Windows, for making this work possible.
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