Corruption and nepotism are viewed by the Iraqi people as two of the most serious problems facing the country. A key component in addressing these problems is the creation of a legal process for transparent hiring and equitable compensation for all government employees. Understanding the importance of such measures in creating long-term stability in Iraq, USAID/ Tatweer’s Civil Service team has been at the forefront in facilitating ambitious civil service reform on both the federal and provincial levels.
USAID/ Tatweer began its support in reforming Iraq’s civil service by assisting the government's Civil Service Committee (CSC) in drafting the Federal Civil Service Commission Law, which calls for the formation of a two-tier civil service system on both the federal and provincial levels. Assisted by USAID/ Tatweer's direct participation on the CSC and a close working relationship with the Parliamentarian Legal Committee, the Iraqi Parliament enacted the Federal Civil Service Commission Law on February 21, 2009.
This legislation creates a new Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) that will have oversight powers for Iraq's civil servants. Acting on input from USAID/ Tatweer, the GoI is conducting a transparent, merit-based recruitment for a number of key positions, including the FCSC chairman. The FCSC will then guide the provinces in creating their own autonomous Civil Service Commissions that will work in parallel with the federal system according to the decentralization principles in the Iraqi Constitution.
At the federal level, USAID/ Tatweer advisors have mentored HR working groups in the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and the National Investment Commission to transform their personnel departments into HR departments emphasizing key concepts such as transparent hiring and merit-based promotion. At the provincial level, Baghdad, Basrah and Salah Al Din provinces are being mentored in the creation of HR departments for all employees. In June 2009, the governorate of Basrah issued an administrative order creating the first provincial HR department in the history of Iraq. The Baghdad governorate is preparing a legal document to follow Basrah, with the goal that these pilot programs will mentor other provinces in establishing their own HR departments, all managed by a Provincial Civil Service System receiving guidance from the Federal System.
According to USAID/Tatweer Senior Legal Advisor, Touhami Rhaiem, who’s guided Tatweer’s strategic plan to assist the GOI through the Civil Service reform process, “Iraq will have an effective, transparent Civil Service System, free of corruption to deliver services to people independent of the central level. It fits local needs of the provinces and will match their budgetary and fiscal capability.”
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Meeting of the Civil Service Committee
“Iraq will have an effective, transparent Civil Service System, free of corruption to deliver services to people…”
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