Governance & Rule of Law
PRTs cooperate with their local Government Electoral Office, as well as with NGOs, to ensure fair and transparent elections.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams partner with officials of the provincial government, along with community and grass-roots leaders, to strengthen civil society while increasing the capacity of the provincial government to create the conditions that will lead to stability and prosperity for their citizens. PRTs provide training for current and emerging provincial leaders on how to manage and execute budgets in a transparent and sustainable manner, to deliver essential services effectively, and to minimize corruption. They also work with Iraqi officials to strengthen capacity and coordination at both the provincial and ministerial levels by promoting transparency in the planning, design, delivery and oversight of the budgetary and legislative processes.
Each PRT also cooperates with officials of the provincial judicial system to develop capacity in six major areas related to the rule of law. They are: encouraging investment and economic growth through development of property laws and enforcement of commercial rights; safeguarding the Iraqi judiciary and securing the court system; improving law enforcement by encouraging the Iraqi Police and investigative judges to effectively use forensic evidence from crime scenes; eliminating overcrowding and mistreatment while promoting the protection of human rights within the Iraqi prison system; improving corruption detection and anti-corruption enforcement practices; and developing access to justice programs by revitalizing law school curricula and establishing best legal practices that encourage Iraqi women to pursue legal careers.
Related Stories
-
Anbar PD Officers Conduct Hand-Off With The Participation Of Their Media Counterparts
On August 5, 2010, outgoing and incoming Public Diplomacy Officers (PDOs) invited journalists from the province to join a working lunch at the Anbar Business Center in order for the incoming PDO to meet them and discuss ways for the PRT to support the province’s media and for the two groups to cooperate.
-
The Dedication of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Building
PRT Team Leader Angus Simmons along with other PRT team members attending the dedication of a 950,000 USD project coordinated with the Iraqi Police, Najaf PRT and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will provide a new Explosives Ordinance Disposal compound to the Iraqi Police.
-
PRT Transition: Embedded PRT Baghdad North To Close, Become Forward Office For PRT-Baghdad
On July 26, 2010, embedded PRT (ePRT) Baghdad North held a farewell ceremony to mark its closure as a Provincial Reconstruction Team.
-
United States Deputy Secretary of State Visits Erbil
Mr. Jacob J. Lew, United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and a delegation including Ambassador Nancy J. Powell, Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, and Ambassador Peter Bodde, Assistant Chief of Mission for Assistance Transition in Iraq, from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, traveled for a one day visit to Erbil.
-
PRT Dhi Qar Support Agriculture Skills Center
June 2, 2010, Nasariyah - The Dhi Qar Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is supporting two projects with the al-Gharraf Guidance Center, a training center run jointly by the provincial Directorate General of Agriculture and the federal Ministry of Agriculture.
-
Dhi Qar PRT's Program to Upgrade Inmates' Skills Praised by Prison Governor
June 2, 2010, Nasariyah - The Dhi Qar Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) made two visits to the Nasiriyah Prison this week to focus on a literacy training program for inmates and to deliver books and computers to the prison.
-
Internally Displaced Persons Graduate from U.S.-Funded Kurdish Language Program
At a lavish and, at times, boisterous May 24 ceremony at the KRG Ministry of Culture's Peshwa Hall, Andy Snow, the Erbil Regional Reconstruction Team Leader, joined Erbil Governor Nawzad Hadi and four senior KRG officials to present certificates of completion to 480 adult students.
-
Al Amarah Law Library Restored Thanks to Iraqi-American Partnership
May 22, 2010, Amarah - After months of planning and preparation, the judges at the Appellate Courthouse in Al Amarah again have a law library full of books. The original library was looted in the 2003 and has never been replaced. The Chief Judge and President of the Court of Appeals in Maysan, Judge Nouri Ahmad Mansour, was delighted at the delivery of 400 volumes of important law books.
-
U.S. Supports Welfare and Integration of Orphans and Elderly
In a ceremony today at the Erbil Orphanage and Senior Center, U.S. Embassy Regional Reconstruction Team Leader Andrew Snow announced that the United States has provided IQD 311 million (USD 200,000) in the form of a grant towards the purchase of essential furniture and equipment to benefit the center's 300 young and elderly residents.
-
Embassy Anti-Corruption Coordinator Highlights Anti-corruption Efforts during Visit to Salah ad Din
April 28, 2010, Tikrit -- The Salah ad Din Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) hosted Ambassador Joseph Stafford, the Embassy's Anti-Corruption Coordinator, on a three-day visit to Tikrit.
-
US Ambassador visits PRT in Salah ad Din Province
One year after being appointed to the position of United States Ambassador to Iraq, Ambassador Christopher Hill visited Joint Base Balad April 23, 2010. The ambassador made the trip to visit with base leadership to better understand the work that the Provincial Reconstruction Team is doing to prepare Iraq for its future.
-
Students, U.S. Officials Celebrate Role of Journalists
At a ceremony today at the Dohuk Technical Institute, students and officials from the U.S. Embassy Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) celebrated the role of journalists in establishing and safeguarding a free and democratic society.
-
Erbil Team Leader Condemns Violence Against Women at Sulaimaniyah Conference
Andy Snow, Team Leader of the Erbil Regional Reconstruction, condemned the use of violence against women, calling it "barbaric and inhuman.
-
Kirkuk PRT Highlights Legal Education with Workshop on Criminal Defense
April 14, 2010, Kirkuk – The Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) hosted Thomas Hillier, a Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington state, as part of a three-city tour of Iraq organized by the US Embassy in Baghdad.
-
Ambassador Stafford Talks Anti-Corruption with Kirkuk Media at PRT-Organized Roundtable
The Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) hosted a media roundtable event March 30 for Ambassador Joseph Stafford with twelve local journalists from Kirkuk.
-
PRT-Baghdad Holds Crime Scene Preservation Course for Iraqi Counterparts
The Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) hosted senior Iraqi firefighters in a first of its kind course on the importance of establishing a strong incident command and control during any emergency response, both to help coordinate their firefighters' work and to help preserve potential evidence at the scene of a suspicious fire or terrorist bombing.
-
Babil PRT Expands Successful Criminal Forensics Training to Include Reporters
The Babil Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) held a seminar for reporters on the use of forensic evidence in the prosecution of criminals.
-
PRT Salah ad Din Supports Training on Forensics Evidence
The Salah ad Din Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) organized a video teleconference (VTC) involving law professors from the Universities of Tikrit and Baltimore
-
PRT and Local NGO Mark Women's History Month Together in Kirkuk
Women of all ages gathered at the Government Building in Hawija on March 24, 2010 to mark Women's History Month at a gathering jointly organized by local non-partisan NGO "Hawija Women's and Orphans Group" and the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
-
Erbil Overseas Security Advisory Council Holds First Meeting
The newly established chapter of the OSAC in Erbil hosted its first general membership meeting at the Erbil Speed Center.
-
PRT-Baghdad Sponsors Media Training through the Iraqi Society For Defending Press Freedom
The Society for Defending Press Freedom cosponsored a media training workshop with support from The Baghdad PRT.
-
21st Century Technology is Helping Shape an Ancient City
The GIS unit is helping shape Iraq's future, and it is a key partner for Provincial Reconstruction Team-Baghdad (PRT-B).
-
Salah ad Din PRT, US Forces Help Bring Iraqi Communities Together
A ceremonial ground-breaking took place for a new road project that will connect the small village to the larger city of Sharqat.
-
Seminars on Minority Women's Legal Rights
Ninewa Public Diplomacy Office completes a series of seminars on minority women's legal rights.
-
PRT Muthanna Opens Al Jarbo'eya Family Park
The park was a shared cost project between the PRT, the Community Action Group (CAG) and the municipal government with over 70% contributed by the government.