
Now in its third year of operation, MSI’s Tatweer team recently had the pleasure of hosting several high-level figures from both the U.S. and Iraqi Governments.
One of Iraq's Vice Presidents, Tariq Al-Hashimi, made a surprise visit to Tatweer’s Government Communications Training Course, where he addressed the importance of USAID's and other donors’ work in Iraq and lent positive reinforcement to the Tatweer trainees. In addition to his visit, two other highly publicized visits also took place in May – that of U.S. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill and USAID Iraq Mission Director Christopher D. Crowley. They opened a two-day conference, sponsored by Tatweer and the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Services, Dr. Rafe H. Al-Eissawi.
According to USAID, the conference brought together ministers, director generals, and governors from six central provinces of Iraq to work together to improve the provision of public services. Government representatives from Anbar, Babil, Diyala, Karbala, Najaf, and Wasit participated in the event. Crowley said, “This conference is an excellent opportunity to start a meaningful dialogue across the different levels of government and the central provinces to build on the progress made so far.” He said the joint efforts are meant to set up a transparent and effective public administration system to improve the delivery of services throughout the country.
MSI now employs 313 men and women as part of the Tatweer team, the majority of which are locals.
“The participation of senior U.S. Government figures is always a welcome indication that they believe Tatweer is creating momentum for change in Iraq,” said Tatweer Technical Director, Andy Griminger.