Non-Governmental Organisations (Iraq)

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — International Development – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 11 June 2008.

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Photo of Shahid Malik Shahid Malik Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for International Development 11:30, 11 June 2008

Trade unions are a vital part of any democracy. That is why my hon. Friend is right to say that, between 2004 and 2007, DFID provided through Unison training for trade union leaders and helped to establish a trade union resource centre in Iraq. This programme came to a natural end in 2007, which coincided with a spike in violence preventing us from renewing the programme. Since then we have successfully focused on supporting the Iraqi Government to provide essential services to their own people and stimulating private sector investment. In April, I met Governor al-Waili, the governor of Basra, who expressed his optimism about the future of Iraq. I assure my hon. Friend that as security improves, we will continue to assess how we can best support increased prosperity and stability in Iraq, including opportunities to work with trade unions.

trade union

A group of workers who have united to promote their common interests.