Baghdad, 7 July 2021 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq has today concluded its socio-economic impact assessment series by issuing a final report that aggregates its key findings and more than 50 recommendations made to the Government of Iraq and development partners to support Iraq’s recovery from COVID-19.

Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19 in Iraq: Key findings is the final paper in a series of eight released by UNDP on the impact of COVID-19 in Iraq.

Throughout the series, UNDP provides a multidimensional analysis on the impact of the pandemic and related shocks, current and past, on Iraq and its citizens. It recognizes that returning to a sustainable and inclusive development trajectory depends on addressing the root causes of fragility and provides a range of policy recommendations for all stakeholders in the recovery from the pandemic and economic crisis, anticipating that this would catalyse a holistic approach to realizing the SDGs.

“The pandemic hit Iraq following years of conflict, and on top of political turmoil and civil unrest paired with a significant drop in oil revenue. Since then, COVID-19 has both revealed and exacerbated deep economic and social vulnerabilities while hitting the poorest and most vulnerable groups – like youth, women and IDPs – the hardest,” says Resident Representative of UNDP Iraq, Zena Ali Ahmad.  

“In Iraq, compounding shocks consistently affect all dimensions of fragility and gradually eat away at the

foundations of the social contract. Through the series, we wanted to demonstrate the urgency of investing in inclusive recovery scenarios if we are to make progress towards Agenda 2030 for everyone. A multidimensional approach addressing key economic, societal, political, security and environmental vulnerabilities is imperative for recovery. It will be impossible to attain the Sustainable Development Goals without tackling these first.

“We hope this policy series is a useful resource to rethink development solutions to build forward better to a fragile context such as Iraq and will  inform research, policies, strategies and plans in support of the Iraqi people and their recovery from COVID-19,” adds Ms. Ali Ahmad.

UNDP Iraq is grateful to ILO, IOM, UNEP and UN-Habitat for their partnership and important contributions to various reports under the Socio-economic Impact Assessment series. Click here to view a digital summary of the Socioeconomic Impact Assessment series.

Papers in UNDP’s Socioeconomic Impact Assessment series include:

Impact of COVID-19 and the Oil Crisis on Iraq’s Fragility

Impact of COVID-19 on the Iraqi Economy

Impact of COVID-19 on Social Cohesion in Iraq

Impact of COVID-19 on Social Protection in Iraq

Impact of COVID-19 on Environmental Sustainability in Iraq

Impact of COVID-19 on Iraq’s Vulnerable Populations

Findings of the Assessment of COVID-19’s Socioeconomic Impact on Iraq’s Vulnerable Populations

Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19 in Iraq: Key findings

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Fay Daoud, Team Leader, Communications and Advocacy | +964 7801 976 460