Attention to the quality of the political and democratic context, respect for human rights in general and, in particular, those of women, are the primary requisites of the future activities of Italian cooperation. Advocating for strong democracy means encouraging forms of direct support to local institutions, social or special-interest networks, workers’ unions and organizations of the local civil society that give voice to different social groups in developing countries. It is not simply a matter of supporting the needs of different sectors from their governments, but of fostering and improving the interaction between the government, the intermediate organizations and the citizens, increasing respect for human rights and the principles of transparency. In this connection, Italian cooperation is inspired, among others, by the Agenda for Change, adopted in 2011, and which is a pillar of the development policies of the EU, linking development, respect of human rights, democracy and good government.
Among the activities in which Italy is deeply engaged in this sector is the initiative “Higher education of executives in the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Iraq”, which intends to contribute to increasing the competence of the public administration in Iraq, improving its efficiency, and creating and consolidating institutional capacity in the sector of territorial evaluation and assessment of natural resources, and on issues connected with irrigation in developing countries in general, through participation in two Master level university courses at top schools.