Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s Participation in the Future Summit

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani attended the Future Summit, held in New York on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he delivered Iraq’s address. The summit's objective being to create greater international cooperation on global challenges, to work towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and build a framework for more effective global governance to tackle current and emerging threats.

In his address, the Prime Minister outlined Iraq’s commitment to sustainable development through strategic reforms aimed at improving the nation’s economic, social, and environmental frameworks, with his speech focusing on Iraq’s own development plan for 2024 to 2028 which addresses areas including economic reform, social justice, climate action, and international cooperation. The following themes stood out ascentral:

Iraq’s efforts to enhance economic stability are focusing on reforms to benefit vulnerable groups. The government has adopted a strategy to promote social justice, concentrating on developing human capital through improved education, healthcare, and support for youth and women. Additionally, Iraq plans to move beyond its oil-dependent economy by encouraging private sector investment and job creation.

The Prime Minister spoke of Iraq’s vulnerability to climate change, with particular attention to the country’s struggles against drought, desertification, and the sustainability of water resources.

Iraq is seeking international support for climate financing, given its status as one of the country’s most severely affected by environmental challenges, in addition to climate adaptation, Iraq is focusing on food security and renewable energy initiatives as part of its environmental strategy.

With regards to the Iraqi vision for foreign policy, there was, expectedly a mention of the requirement for mutual respect and the commitment to prevent the use of Iraqi territory for attacks on neighbouring countries along with enhanced global cooperation across multiple security dimensions: land, maritime, cyber, and space, to ensure comprehensive security.

Sudani also advocated for diplomatic solutions to ongoing regional conflicts, specifically referring to the aggression in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Prime Minister has a positive position on Iraq’s commitment to technological advancement and capacity building, and it’s great to see that Sudani clearly understands science and technology are cornerstones for sustainable development.

On that front, Iraq aims to transition to a digital economy, creating an integrated database to facilitate data-driven decision-making, Sudani is also keen to explore the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, calling for strategies to manage AI safely.

This is an area where Iraq can develop youth capacity through advanced education and training, supporting young Iraqi entrepreneurs and inventors by enhancing technical education to equip young people for the evolving market.

Overall, Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s participation in the Future Summit puts Iraq in front of the right people and with solid plans for economic reforms, climate change, technological advancement, and enhanced international cooperation. His address showed Iraq’s current government of having a balanced approach to national development while making the effort to contribute to international stability.

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