The combined health and economic shocks of 2020 have impacted the livelihoods of millions of households, disrupted business activities, and exposed the fault lines in today’s social protection and healthcare systems. The crisis has also further accelerated the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on trade, skills, digitization, competition and employment, and hi
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In-Depth Research & Reports by Ahmed Tabaqchali The Iraqi government plans to respond to the financial crises in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by addressing the root causes of Iraq’s vulnerability to external shocks. The government has laid out a plan, known as the White Paper, which aims to fix the fault lines of the economy and by extension, the political sys
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Despite the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) agreeing a deal over its 2021 budget on December 20, the road to parliamentary approval may be bumpy, market participants told Debtwire. “Parliament has yet to approve [the budget], there is significant opposition to the KRG provisions there and so the deal could be held up, delayed or not implemented
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On October 10, the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi issued a White Paper to reform Iraq’s economy. The energy sector’s future has taken considerable space in the blueprint alongside the country’s increasing demand for electricity. The paper lists the Iraqi government’s plan for the next three to five years, with an effort to satisfy the gap between demand a
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Iraq’s economy has imploded. As the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) second largest producer and the world’s sixth largest oil producer, Iraq is facing major liquidity challenges that have resulted in delays in government employee and retiree salaries and an almost complete halt in government public investment. On top of this, COVID-19 has dealt a decisiv
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