In anticipation of national elections on March 7, Iraqi civil society activists held 16 candidate forums throughout the country to engage voters in the political process, improve the dialogue with candidates and focus attention on priority issues for voters, such as water, electricity and education.

Responding to calls for electoral reform from civil society organizations in Jordan, a national grassroots coalition led by the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) has launched a first-of-its-kind media and advocacy campaign to push for improvements in the country's election system.

The National Platform for Women, the culmination of a three-month collaboration and consensus-building effort by political party members, civil society activists and government officials from across Iraq, was launched in Baghdad last month in anticipation of Iraq's March 7 parliamentary elections.