Baghdad, 22 February 2021 - The Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq today launched an E-Learning Platform for the Iraqi local police to improve opportunities for training, career development, and specialised education. The Platform offers easy access and enrolment to all police officers in Iraq and is the first of its kind initiative in the Ministry of Interior.

The first course available to users is a training programme on standard operating procedures for criminal investigations for police officers of various functions including first response, crime scene management, forensics, and lead investigators.

Zena Ali-Ahmad, UNDP Iraq Resident Representative, states, “Thanks to the generous support from the Netherlands - we were able to collaborate with the Iraqi government to establish this ground-breaking E-learning platform in Iraq. The Ministry of the Interior can now engage with a large number of police officers to facilitate their professional development as front-line people-oriented service providers, and will ensure government business continuity during COVID-19 lockdowns.”

According to Major General Ziad Al-Abbasi, Head of the Training and Qualification Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior,  “With this new platform, the Ministry now has improved means to reach out to all Iraqi police, wherever they are based, and whatever their functions are, to develop their skills according to a pace they can choose and their work obligations and time constraints.”

Ambassador Michel Rentenaar of the Netherlands emphasizes, “We are pleased that the Ministry of Interior will utilise this e-learning platform extensively, develop more courses and make the platform a central place for all police schools, academies and institutes to spread knowledge to local police officers across Iraq.”

Work is in ongoing to incorporate additional resources into the e-learning platform, including courses on knowledge-led policing (IELP) and mid-level police management.

This initiative is implemented through the UNDP Iraq Security Sector programme, supported by a number of donors In Iraq. The programme aims to strengthen security and justice sector governance in Iraq.

For additional information, please contact:

Mohammed Al-Bahbahanee, Communications Specialist | +964 770 439 9222