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. While membership was originally limited to international NGOs, in 2005, in an effort to empower Iraq's civil society, NCCI reviewed its structure and opened up membership to national NGOs, which greatly enhanced their links with the international aid community. NCCI now has 136 NGO members, and 7 observer NGOs, who are international and national organizations operating in Iraq and involved in all sectors of humanitarian and development work. The common objective of NCCI's members is to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in Iraq