Your civic partner in Iraq.
Since 2015, Ishtar Center has brought Iraq's decision-makers, researchers, and young people to the same table. We put that network, and the experience of more than 90 documented programs, to work for international organizations, diplomatic missions, and research institutes working on Iraq.
or directly at [email protected]
Four capabilities we put at our partners' service.
A table everyone sits at
We convene officials, members of parliament, academics, religious figures, and activists in closed dialogues and public conferences, in Baghdad, Najaf, and across Iraq.
Research and policy papers
A research department producing studies, books, and policy papers, and delivering their findings to the institutions able to act on them.
On-the-ground delivery
Teams in Baghdad and Najaf and a presence in the Kurdistan Region: recruiting participants, organizing events, and managing programs end to end, from proposal to final report.
Access at the highest levels
Working relationships with decision-makers across the Iraqi state, from the Prime Minister's office and the judiciary to parliament and local governments.
Ten years working for Iraqi democracy.
- 2015
After the 2015 protests, we convened demonstrators and members of parliament in Najaf and pressed for legislation guaranteeing the right to demonstrate.
- 2019
During the October protest movement, we held discussion circles linking protesters with academics and religious figures, and carried their demands to political leaders.
- 2021
Public debates throughout the early-elections cycle: the elections law, participation versus boycott, and the ambitions of the Iraqi voter.
- 2022 – 2023
A sustained campaign on amending the Provincial Council Elections Law: public discussion tables, a Baghdad workshop, and the Provincial Elections Conference in Najaf.
- 2023
Working meetings with the Prime Minister and with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council on youth and women's empowerment, anti-corruption, and the judiciary's role in consolidating democracy.
- 2026
The Parliamentary Dialogues series hosting sitting legislators, opened with a session on minorities and political representation with the heads of the Christian and Yazidi parliamentary blocs.
Three ways to work together.
- 1
Program delivery as local partner
You have a program that needs a trusted Iraqi partner? We handle recruitment, organization, delivery, and documentation, in full compliance with your standards.
- 2
Commissioned research
Studies, policy papers, and mappings on Iraqi politics and society, prepared by the center's researchers and its academic network.
- 3
Joint dialogues and conferences
We organize roundtables, dialogues, and conferences with you that reach the officials and elites who are otherwise hard to reach.
Let's talk.
Tell us about your program or your research question, and we will come back to you with a practical proposal.
Email the center