The first forum of its kind that will take place in Baghdad, which will witness participation of senior government officials from Iraq, the region and the world, as well as participation of parliamentarians, scientists and researchers from  major dialogue institutions and universities from Iraq and world.

 Mr. Kawa Hassan, director of EWI's Middle East and North Africa program, said Iraq has increasingly become a key country for the Institute's Middle East program. Noting some of the contributions of the Institute in relation to the study of the political situation in Iraq, including providing the intellectual leadership of the Task Force of the Atlantic Council on the future of Iraq and its participation in the development of the report of the working group on the security risks surrounding Iraq. Mr. Kawa also praised EWI in cooperation with RCD and looked forward to holding a dialogue session on the rule of law and combating corruption, as well as holding a workshop on climate change at RCD Forum 2019-Baghdad.

Mr. Farhad Alaaldin, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of RCD Forum 2019-Baghdad, said that the forum will be richer in term of content with the participation of EWI. Mr. Farhad added that EWI has a long track record of working in Iraq, and we are delighted to have the Institute's participate in the RCD Forum2019-Baghdad.

 About EWI:

EWI is a global network of partners with effective influence and committed to building confidence and preventing conflicts around the world. The institute has a 37 years track record of organizing diplomatic dialogues aimed at developing and finding sustainable solutions to key political, economic and security problems at the moment.

There is an urgent need for our work in the Middle East and North Africa region, which is undergoing complex and rapid historical transformations, which have led to important results of the great geopolitical transformation, the re-establishment of the relationship between the state and society, polarization, dispersion and the ongoing power struggle, as well as the influence of the two main engines in the region. In the absence of a regional security structure that can prevent and resolve disputes, the work of the East-West Institute will be of great value.

EWI creates sophisticated scenarios and potential dynamic catalysts that can arise as a result of existing policies. It also facilitates the holding of trust meetings in which political and social leaders, institutions, academics and media can engage in constructive dialogues, find balanced recommendations and devise ways to defuse tensions and mitigate conflict. In this regard, we can build trust and open new channels of communication between national and regional adversaries, comprehensive governance and cooperation in competition and finding satisfactory solutions to the warring parties. The Saudi-Iranian dialogue project is one of the poineering initiatives sponsored by the East-West program

About RCD:

RCD is an independent intellectual institution (Think Tank) registered as a non-governmental organization in 2014 in the city of Najaf. RCD includes 1,400 registered members, including most of the leaders of Iraqi political parties, senior government officials and academics in major universities, as well as scientists and researchers. The members of RCD belong to all Iraqi components from North to South and from East to West.

 RCD also promotes political, cultural and economic dialogue among the Iraqi people with a view to strengthening the democratic experience, establishing community peace, supporting the governmental and non-governmental organizations through a wide range of studies, research, publications, seminars, conferences and field visits.