Minister of Planning, Muhammad Ali Tamim, chaired today, Sunday, the first meeting of the Joint Steering Committee to enhance joint cooperation between Iraq and the United Nations with regard to achieving the goals of sustainable development.
The Ministry of Planning said in a statement, "The meeting was attended by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Ghulam Ishaq Zai, and representatives of a number of international organizations, including the United Nations Human Settlements Program,
the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Organization, the United Nations Development Program, and the international migration and labor organizations.
Tamim stressed, "In a speech to him, that cooperation between Iraq and the United Nations is based on the framework that was signed between the Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Representative on September 5, 2021, which included four main chapters, aiming in its general context to move from humanitarian assistance to contributing to achieving the goals of sustainable development, and directing them according to the priorities of the government program, indicating that there are several goals that we seek to achieve by strengthening cooperation with the United Nations, including working to achieve social cohesion and social protection, joint work to develop and diversify the economy, strengthen effective and comprehensive institutions and services, as well as enhance natural resources Managing disaster risks and facing the effects of climate change, giving the displacement file the required attention and finding appropriate solutions that preserve human dignity by providing appropriate conditions for the voluntary and permanent return of the displaced.
For his part, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ghulam Ishaq, stressed the importance of continuing cooperation and strengthening partnership with Iraq to achieve the goals of sustainable development, noting that the framework of cooperation between the two sides was consistent with the priorities of the Iraqi government's program, and it represents the most important document for the United Nations team, because it outlines the basic paths and identifies the mechanisms required to support Iraq's efforts, with regard to supporting the strategy of food security, education, diversification of the economy, and support for vulnerable groups, pointing out that this framework will contribute to the transition of the role of United Nations organizations from humanitarian work to development work, through strengthening and enhancing services and governance and ensuring transparency in institutional work.
The statement added, "the meeting witnessed a discussion of a number of files on the agenda, which included a review of the annual results report for the year 2022, and a discussion of the final evaluation of the United Nations framework for cooperation in achieving the sustainable development goals (2023-2029), as well as a review of the next steps for joint action in the framework of the cooperation program between Iraq and the United Nations.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency