Iraqi President Highlights Iraq’s Progress and Climate Challenges

Iraqi Presidency

Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid delivering his speech at the conference.

Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid delivered a comprehensive speech on Monday, 30 June 2025, at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, highlighting Iraq’s progress and ongoing challenges amid complex international and regional circumstances.

Speaking before the international audience, President Rashid emphasised the urgency of intensified global efforts to resolve conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, where wars and overlapping political, economic, and social crises have severely disrupted development pathways.

“Many parts of the world are grappling with wars, conflicts and overlapping crises,” he said. “These conditions highlight the urgent need to intensify international efforts to resolve ongoing conflicts and end wars.”

Reflecting on Iraq’s recent history, President Rashid outlined the profound impact of over fifty years of authoritarian regimes, which subjected the country to internal and external wars, economic sanctions, and reactive economic policies. 

"As a result, the country experienced significant economic stagnation and setbacks in development," he said. "After emerging from totalitarian rule and adopting a modern constitution grounded in economic planning, free-market principles and openness to the global economy, Iraq began laying the foundation for international economic partnerships and launched development strategies based on balanced growth across key sectors."

President Rashid highlighted Iraq’s current security stability and tangible economic progress, stressing the importance of sustained international collaboration to advance reconstruction plans and improve living conditions and public services for the Iraqi people.

He said: "The Iraqi government launched its 2024-2028 five-year development plan, which is directly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." 

Highlighting Iraq's latest population census, which was conducted in late 2024, President Rashid said: "For the first time in 37 years, Iraq successfully carried out a comprehensive population and housing census—an essential milestone in generating reliable data for effective development planning, service provision, and equitable resource distribution."

Furthermore, President Rashid noted that the Iraqi government has initiated large-scale improvements in infrastructure and public services, with strategic projects underway in health, education, water, sustainable energy, transportation, communications, agriculture, industry, and tourism.

Addressing environmental concerns, President Rashid noted Iraq’s commitment to mitigating climate change impacts through policies that promote renewable energy, smart agriculture, afforestation, and combating desertification and drought. Despite these efforts, he acknowledged that significant work remains in this critical area.

On social development and demographic front, President Rashid said that Iraq has launched targeted programmes to empower vulnerable and marginalised groups, including the elderly, children, people with disabilities, women, youth, and displaced families returning to liberated areas.

Moreover, he emphasised that Iraq continues to strengthen partnerships with international organisations and maintain broad cooperation with United Nations agencies. 

"In 2024, Iraq chaired the Group of 77 and China, reaffirming its leadership role in regional and international development coordination," he said.

President Rashid also drew attention to severe environmental and climate-related challenges facing Iraq, such as water scarcity driven by shifting weather patterns, record temperatures, reduced rainfall, and diminished flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers due to upstream practices, stating that, "these issues are exacerbated by widespread desertification, increasing dust storms, and outdated irrigation infrastructure."

Speaking about the solution to these environmental challenges, President Rashid said: "The Iraqi government has launched comprehensive reforms to bolster the country’s capacity to meet the SDGs. It remains fully committed to the 2030 Development Agenda, integrating its targets into national frameworks and establishing specialised units within ministries to monitor and advance progress."

President Rashid’s address underscored Iraq’s determination to overcome its challenges through strategic planning, international cooperation, and sustainable development, signalling a hopeful path forward for the nation.

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development brought together global leaders, policymakers and development experts to discuss innovative strategies for mobilising financial resources to support sustainable development and economic growth.



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