This report describes the challenges (legal,social,personal,and economic) that women face in the Iraqi economy,describes opportunities of women’s employment in the Iraqi economy,provides case studies drawn from economic empowerment interventions throughout Iraq in order to shed more light on these issues,and makes recommendations for how to better engage women in the economy of Iraq. The research aimed to address major gaps in local and regional information on women’s participation in the Iraqi economy and to determine avenues to increase women’s participation in peacebuilding activities. It focused particularly on local initiatives aimed at involving and assisting vulnerable populations of women. It also attempted to overcome certain persistent challenges that local organizations face in reaching out to these populations. Specific objectives included: support the Iraqi government in expanding its private sector by incorporating more women into the labour force; investigate Iraqi women’s everyday experiences participating in the Iraqi economy; understand factors that impede or encourage women’s participation in the private sector; highlight the work of CSOs and NGOs involved in women’s economic empowerment issues; explore the strengths/successes and setbacks/failures of various women’s economic empowerment interventions implemented by Iraqi CSOs; and understand the common barriers to and opportunities for involving Iraqi women in peacebuilding activities at the local levels. Methods used in this research included: a workshop conducted by Iraqi Al-Amal Association (IAA) in Erbil,Iraq; a self-assessment tool to collect information about several women’s economic empowerment interventions; and a case study research conducted in numerous governorates of Iraq to more deeply understand a variety of issues related to women’s economic empowerment interventions.