The NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq, or NCCI, is an independent initiative that was launched by a group of NGOs present in Baghdad in April 2003. At the time of inception, the 14 original members focused on establishing a base for objective aid coordination, highlighting intervention priorities and optimizing aid responses in Iraq. NCCI continues to perform its role in advocacy and lobbying inside and outside Iraq, in addition to acting as a link for information sharing in regards to humanitarian needs and assistance. NCCI now has 95 NGO members, and 6 observer NGOs, who are international and national organizations operating in Iraq and involved in all sectors of humanitarian and development work. Third parties - UN agencies, Iraqi authorities, other NGO platforms and donors - also participate in the exchange of information facilitated by NCCI on relevant humanitarian and development issues in Iraq. NCCI’s Strategic Objectives: 1. NCCI will act as the NGO focal point for internal and external actors. This includes sharing information and facilitating contact between stakeholders. 2. NCCI is to create the enabling environment for NGOs to advocate for the rights and needs of people in Iraq. 3. NCCI is to provide the services, advice, and capacity building to support NGOs in order to enable development, address humanitarian needs, and promote respect for human rights in Iraq. The direct beneficiaries of the services provided by NCCI are the member organizations, followed by the greater NGO community in Iraq (national & international) and UN agencies. Indirect beneficiaries are the Iraqi communities who directly benefit from NGO projects, since NGOs are assisted by the information exchange, capacity building workshops and security awareness initiatives that are facilitated by NCCI.