Trainer: Governance, Board Development and Statutory Compliance

Cordaid Iraq supports local civil society organisations in Baghdad, Basra, Erbil and Ninewa to strengthen how they are governed, how they plan and how they advocate. This training responds to the priorities identified in a recent organisational assessment of participating organisations.

A recent organisational assessment found that board practice, the written management of conflicts of interest, board record-keeping, and tax and social-security registration are among the weakest areas for participating organisations, with the greatest need in Ninewa. This training is designed to close those gaps in practical terms, so that each organisation leaves with signed governance documents and a clear compliance calendar.

Training days, locations and language

Days differ by governorate because the assessment found different levels of need. The allocation is fixed at contract and can be adjusted by mutual agreement within the total.

Training in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul is delivered in Arabic only. Training in Erbil is delivered in Arabic and Kurdish (Sorani), mixed according to the participants in the room, so the Erbil trainer must be able to work comfortably in both.

What must be covered

Governance and the board (13 of the 17 days)

• What a board does and what a director does, and why the bylaws in most of these organisations say one thing while practice says another
• Board composition, terms of office, quorum, and building an annual meeting calendar the organisation can actually keep
• Running a board meeting that reviews a budget: agenda, papers circulated in advance, decisions, minutes and the minute book
• Conflict of interest in the Iraqi CSO context: family relationships across board and staff, a director who is also the chair, board members holding executive posts. The aim is declaring and managing, not prohibiting
• Drafting and signing, in the room, a role-separation resolution and a conflict-of-interest declaration for each board member and the director
• Board oversight of finance and of the director's performance, including what the board should ask for and how often
• Governance requirements under Federal Law 12/2010 and KRI Law 1/2011, and what differs between them for organisations registered under both

Statutory compliance (4 of the 17 days, one in each governorate)

• The NGO Directorate registration and renewal cycle: timing, documents required, common reasons for rejection, and dual Federal and KRI registration.
• Tax registration with the General Commission for Taxes: who must register, withholding on salaries and contracts, the filing cycle, and the exposure created by late registration.
• Social security enrolment: employer obligations, enrolling paid staff, contribution rates and back-contribution exposure
• Building a one-page compliance calendar for each organisation with its own renewal and filing dates.
• What to prepare before approaching any authority, and when to refer a case to the programme's legal help desk rather than going alone.

What each organisation must hold at the end

The training is practical. Each organisation leaves with the following, produced in the room:

• A signed role-separation resolution and signed conflict-of-interest declarations
• An annual board meeting calendar
• A one-page compliance calendar with its registration, tax and social-security dates filled in

The trainer also submits a short completion note per governorate (one to two pages, template provided by Cordaid) listing which organisations produced each document, and which did not and why.

Fee and payment

• Quote a daily rate in USD per training day delivered.
• Cordaid pays only for training days actually delivered. Preparation days, materials development, reporting, travel, accommodation and meals are not paid and must not appear in your offer. Price your daily rate with this in mind.
• Cordaid arranges the venue, participant invitations and refreshments through its hub facilitator in each governorate.
• Payment is made after each governorate's training is completed, on the basis of signed attendance sheets and an accepted completion note.
• Fees are subject to tax deductions under Iraqi law.

Trainer profile

• Iraqi lawyer, governance adviser or NGO-management specialist with at least seven years of work with civil society organisations in Iraq
• Working knowledge of Federal Law 12/2010 and, for Erbil, KRI Law 1/2011, and practical familiarity with the NGO Directorate, the General Commission for Taxes and the social security department
• Demonstrated experience facilitating board-level sessions, not only staff training
• Arabic required for all governorates. Arabic and Kurdish (Sorani) required for Erbil.

You can apply through the link: Application Form

Note:

Individual trainers, teams and firms can apply/Joint proposals are welcome: Two trainers can team up and submit one proposal for the same services, for example to combine legal and facilitation skills or Arabic and Kurdish. The proposal names a lead trainer who signs the contract and receives payment, shows which trainer delivers which days, and quotes one daily rate per governorate. Each trainer submits a CV and a signed declaration.