The funding comes from the World Bank and Canadian government and will help women both economically and politically.

Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq regional director, said: “We are committed to supporting women in Iraq and we’ll work tirelessly to ensure that Iraqi women have the opportunity to participate fully in all facets of life and to contribute to Iraq’s socio-economic development.”

Mehdi Al-Alak, Iraqi secretary general of the Council of Ministers, said the programme would support government efforts to empower women legally and socially, which in turn will make the economy stronger.

The initiative, called Gender and Social Protections in Iraq: Towards Economic Empowerment, will also provide technical support to government officials to help them design, implement and monitor the necessary policy programmes.