Strategic policies
Iraq’s NDC:
The 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Paris in November and December 2015. Participating countries negotiated and adopted the Paris Agreement, which includes objectives to peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, to limit the global average temperature increase above pre-industrial levels to well below 2 C, and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 C.
The Paris Agreement, which entered into force on 4 November 2016, requires Parties to put forward their best efforts through “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs). These NDCs represent targets and actions for the post-2020 period. Iraq officially ratified the Paris Agreement in 2021, and it entered into force on 1 December 2021.
This NDC document serves as the country’s supreme policy for dealing with the problem of climate change. The NDC focuses on the following sectors, the most affected in Iraq by the climate change (i) water resources; (ii) agriculture; (iii) health; (iv) natural systems and forests; (v) coastal areas and sea level rise; (vi) sewage and waste sector; (vii) climate, recurring and slow-onset events and risks from climate change; (viii) higher education, scientific research, science and technology; (ix) energy; (x) tourism and world heritage (natural and cultural).
To help eliminate hunger and malnutrition the document focuses on increasing the resilience of the agricultural sector towards climate change. To make agriculture more productive and sustainable, the NDC proposes to reduce soil degradation and increase agricultural revenues, also to achieve economic diversification and reduce poverty level. More inclusive agricultural systems can be achieved by supporting rural women through the use of modern technologies. To increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, main interventions are (i) increase the flexibility of the water resources sector by adopting an integrated approach that faces the future increasing demand for water and reducing the potential deficit; (ii) develop water uses in line with the challenges of climate change, providing financial and technical support and introducing alternative and non-conventional sources; (iii) improve water infrastructure, the efficiency of supplies, and the preservation of water sources from pollution; (iv) increase the health sector’s resilience by providing the necessary and comprehensive support to health institutions and infrastructure; (v) protect and conserve ecosystems by increasing their resilience to adapt to the effects of climate change and adopting nature-based climate solutions to protect fragile, rare, and most vulnerable environments; (vi) develop strategies to protect the marine environment, its biodiversity, and coastal areas to reduce its erosion; (vii) increase resilience to sea-level rise and increase the sea ability to absorb carbon; (viii) preserve the marine natural environments and address the risks and threats to marine life and infrastructure; (ix) support integrated waste management, improving its recycling to produce energy from solid waste; (x) improve the quality of treated water; (xi) increase the resilience of the energy sector in the face of climate change by supporting adaptation programs and working simultaneously with mitigation axes.
Iraq’s NAP:
In 2020, the Government of Iraq started the process of developing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to help build the country’s resilience to climate change.
The National Adaptation Plan is expected to identify, assess and bridge existing gaps in climate knowledge, and carry out climate risk assessments to identify the livelihoods and sectors most threatened by climate impacts, as well as the most urgent adaptation priorities. The NAP planning process provides an opportunity to ensure that migration, displacement and planned relocation are fully addressed, as both potential challenges and potential opportunities. Human mobility is an important consideration for the NAP since there is a need to avoid displacement or migration that erodes human welfare, and also a need to understand how to capitalise on the potential for migration where it functions as a viable adaptive strategy.
It also established the Permanent National Committee on Climate Change and the National Climate Change Center. Funded by the Green Climate Fund, the NAP will be developed and implemented as part of a three-year project with a particular focus on strengthening institutional, technical and financial capacities. The project will help to identify areas for resource mobilization, analyse gaps in institutional capacity, and suggest ways to address capacity gaps, and build awareness about the NAP with stakeholders within and outside Iraq.
Iraq’s Green Paper:
Iraq commenced work on a national Green Paper in early 2022. The Green Paper is intended to assess and implement measures to mitigate the impact of climate change and support Iraq’s net-zero transition, with an emphasis on the economy. At the Second International Water Conference held in Baghdad in March 2022, the Minister of Planning confirmed work had commenced on the Green Paper, and that the Council of Ministers has set up a committee to oversee its preparation and drafting. The UN is actively engaged in the consultative process of drafting the Green Paper, and the UN Network on Migration will play a key role in making submissions related to climate migration.
Catalytic Climate Action in Iraq:
June 2022 – A new project designed to accelerate climate action in Iraq has been launched through a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) the Ministry of Environment with funding generously provided by governments of the UK and Canada.
The three year Catalytic Climate Action in Iraq project is designed to strengthen Iraq’s capacity to mitigate the climate change and adapt to its impacts by managing natural resources, developing renewable resources, and increasing resilience to climate-induced hazards.
Activities are targeted at gaps that can deliver systemic change within the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Region of Iraq to help deliver their climate ambitions under the Paris Agreement. Technical assistance, knowledge building and operational support will be provided to Iraq to help implement its Nationally Determined Contributions, with a strong focus on renewable energy, transboundary water resources management, and preparedness for drought and other disasters.
The Government of Iraq was proud to submit its NDC document in October 2021. This document serves as the country’s supreme policy for climate action and initiates the first steps towards a more diversified and green economy by encouraging the use of renewable energies, promoting nature-based solutions, strengthening integrated water resources management, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector. This project is crucial to supporting the Government to mainstream its NDC across all Ministries and institutions in Iraq and the Kurdistan region with a strong focus on energy, drought preparedness and effective water management. “The Ministry of Environment on behalf of the Iraqi Government is grateful to the UK and Canada for generously supporting this important project which is a catalyst for increasing climate ambitions in Iraq,” stated the Minister for Environment, Dr. Jassim Abdulazeez Humadi.
Mesopotamia Revitalisation Project:
Some influential voices are making the case for climate investment, including important political figures. On the initiative of the former president Barham Salih, in November 2021 the federal government adopted the Mesopotamia Revitalisation Project. This project maps out for the first time an ambitious plan for addressing the most critical impacts of climate change in the country. President Salih is a passionate advocate of climate change adaptation. In an interview he stated “the scale of the problem is so severe as a driver of conflict and instability that it is gradually becoming an issue that Iraqi politicians find worth talking about.
While the Mesopotamia Revitalisation Project will be Iraq-focused in its initial stages, it is designed to coordinate with and integrate Iraq with regional economic and climate-adaptation partnerships and interconnections. In its initial phase, it will focus on four core areas – reforestation – water management – housing and urbanization and energy transition – which exploit readily available opportunities, draw on proven technology, can take advantage of existing funding sources, and will deliver fast results. The nine initial projects range from reforestation to water supply and quality through to green energy and carbon capture. The vital and overdue gas capture program is also addressed. Together these will provide the foundations for a more ambitious long-term economic revitalization agenda that will take place with Iraq at the heart of regional change.