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Baghdad, Iraq, 16 March 2022 A High-level delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded a 5-day visit to Baghdad and Erbil to finalize Iraq's Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) process.

The UHPR is a governmental review mechanism led by the WHO Member States, in which countries voluntarily agree to a regular and transparent peer-to-peer review of their national preparedness capacities, as well as the performance of their health system in response to the different hazards and risks affecting public health.

This initiative aims to bring together the relevant stakeholders in the country in a spirit of solidarity and mutual trust to promote more effective national coordination and international cooperation, to strengthen health security in the country.

"This is my first visit to Iraq since the COVID-19 pandemic. I truly congratulate Iraq for all the efforts made to scale up the preparedness and response to COVID-19 and look forward to a further investment aimed at strengthening the national health system," said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

"I've seen the progress made towards enhancing health systems in Iraq. I left Baghdad with full confidence in the ability of the political leadership and health professionals to face all difficulties and advance the health system in the country," he added.

The high-level delegation, led by Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, met with HE Prime Minister Mostafa Al-Kadhimi and other high-level officials, including Iraq's Minister of Health HE Dr Hani Mousa Al Iqabi. The two sides discussed the performance of the Iraqi health system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and reviewed the strengths of the response and the areas needing further improvements, both in terms of the health system's development and in the health security areas pertaining to preparedness and response to emergencies and outbreaks.

"WHO is proud of its contribution so far. It is completely ready to further enhance collaboration with the government and the people of Iraq at all levels to ensure the best attainable health outcomes for everyone in Iraq and beyond," said Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq.

"This mission is of critical importance as Iraq is one of five countries prioritized to undertake the UHPR globally. Iraq will be sharing the lessons learned with all WHO Member States and paving the way for improving the performance of its health system and strengthening the preparedness and response capacities to tackle different public health hazards," Dr Zouiten added.

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For more information, please contact:

Ajyal Sultany, WHO Communications Officer, sultanya@who.int

Sadeq Al-Wesabi, WHO Communications Officer, hasansa@who.int

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High-level delegation of WHO visits Iraq to boost health system [EN/AR] - Iraq - ReliefWeb

Iraq has been seeing protesters take to the streets as food prices spiral upwards because of the Ukraine war. Around 500 people protested in Iraqs southern city of Nasiriyah a few days ago as flour suddenly rose in price by nearly a third. With food-related protests subsequently taking place in Albania and Sri Lanka, the ripple effects of the war are spreading.

Iraqs markets were largely unaffected by the surging inflation in months gone by. But Iraqi officials have confirmed that the Russian invasion has massively increased the cost of the regions food and is also causing shortages. Flour prices are up from IQD35,000 (18.29) for a 50kg sack to IQD45,000 (23.52), rice by 10%, and cooking oil has doubled in price. Iraqi consumers have been stocking up fast because of fears of further shortages and price rises, and Iraqi traders have capitalised on the situation to increase their profits.

The Iraqi government has already put measures in place to tackle shortages, distributing food to those in most need, as well as rationing food during the upcoming month of Ramadan. Rapid government measures also include a monthly allowance of around US$70 (53) for pensioners with incomes of less than one million Iraqi dinars (522) per month to help them afford food, as well as for civil servants earning less than half a million Iraqi dinars.

Additionally, a temporary suspension of customs charges on consumer goods, construction materials and international food products has been introduced for a period of two months to help keep prices down. In Iraqs Kurdish region, the Kurdistan regional government has introduced emergency measures including store closures in Erbil, the regions capital, to stop rogue traders overcharging.

Imports from Russia and Ukraine, two of the worlds largest exporters of energy and agricultural products, have been massively reduced. The situation has also been exacerbated by neighbouring Iran and Turkey, which according to Iraqi sources have restricted food exports to Iraq to prioritise their own national stocks.

Despite Iraq being part of what is known as the fertile crescent, a region famed for its high-yielding farmland and access to water, a series of interventions in the last three decades have depleted the areas water supply and crops. These range from Saddam Hussein formally drying out Iraqs marshes, to water flow restrictions from Turkey and Iran causing severe drought. These events had already put pressure on Iraqs agriculture sector and reduced internal production of food.

Iraqis have been holding demonstrations regularly since the US occupation of 2003, mostly against government corruption, the lack of basic services, mass unemployment and in recent years the interference of Iran. Iraqs latest prime minister, Mustafa Kadhimi, an independent, was elected after protests in October 2019 as Iraqis rejected the old parties.

Distrust in the political system continues. In Iraqs latest October 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections, the lowest-ever voter turnout in post-2003 Iraq was recorded at 41% creating a legitimacy crisis for Iraqs yet-to-be-announced next government.

Read more: How the Arab Spring changed the MiddleEast and NorthAfrica forever

A legacy of the US occupation of Iraq is an elitist political system. Iraqs political leaders compete to portion out the countrys income, giving favours to friends and family.

The key issue is that there is no clear progressive national government strategy, which in turn severely impedes development and weakens the Iraqi state, especially in the face of challenges such as global food price rises. However, what makes this particular protest noteworthy is that it comes at a time when all governments may be expected to do more to support their populations as prices spiral worldwide.

Given that two of the key drivers of the Arab Spring were the high cost of food and other goods, and restricted access to water, the latest protests may have worldwide significance. Iraqis may be the first in a global movement of protests over price rises as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues.

Albania became the first country to follow in Iraqs footsteps with protests, then Sri Lanka, amid warnings from the World Bank that Ukraine war-related inflation could drive other protests and riots.

While some other governments have already intervened with subsidies, there is also an argument that energy providers should act more responsibly in such times of crises. For example, Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell recorded their highest profits in seven years in 2021, which they attributed to surging oil prices as post-pandemic demand increased but suppliers struggled to keep up.

The cost of food has provoked outrage throughout history. The 2007 and 2008 food crises triggered riots in Haiti, Bangladesh and Mozambique. Even in the French revolution, when Parisians stormed the Bastille on July 14 1789, they were not just looking for arms, they were looking for grain to make bread.

Highlighting these important lessons from history to drive more responsible government and corporate power may be pivotal in preventing political unrest and instability. There is little doubt that both governments and corporations need to do more to make sure that food is affordable for their citizens, or face the consequences.

Excerpt from:
Iraq food protests against spiralling prices echo early stages of the Arab Spring - The Conversation

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

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ERBIL,Iraq, March 12 (Reuters) - Iraq will host another round of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the foreign ministry in Baghdad said on Saturday, without giving further details.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein revealed the development during remarks at a diplomatic forum in Antalya on Turkey's southern coast cited by local media. A foreign ministry spokesman confirmed the comments to Reuters.

The talks will be the fourth round hosted by Baghdad between officials from its two neighbours and mutual adversaries, according to local media.

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The Saudi foreign ministry did not respond to request for comment.

Diplomats hope the opening of direct channels between Iran and Saudi Arabia will signal an easing of tensions across the Middle East after years of hostilities that have brought the region close to a full-scale conflict.

Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Friday faced the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text. read more

Negotiators have reached the final stages of 11 months of discussions to restore the deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs.

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Reporting by Amina Ismail; Additional reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Writing by Moataz Mohamed; Editing by Mike Harrison

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Iraq to host another round of Iran-Saudi Arabia talks - Reuters.com

A roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier belonging to Dubai-based Salem Al Makrani Cargo Company capsized and later sank in the Persian Gulf about 30 miles from southern Iraq.

All but one the ships 30 crew members have been rescued, Irans official IRNA news agency said.

The ship is the UAE-flagged Al Salmy 6, which was underway from Dubai to Umm Qasr in southern Iraq.

A spokesperson for Salem Al Makrani Cargo Company told reporters that the ship experienced high winds and waves which caused the vessel to capasize.

Many of the crew members made it into life rafts and two were reported to be in the water, one of whom was rescued by a nearby tanker.

The last position received from the vessel was at 06:05 UTC, or 10:05 local time, with its status reported as Not Under Command.

Al Salmy 6 was built in 1983 and is 16,021 gross tonnes.

The incident is the latest in a series of car carrier mishaps, the latest being the fire and sinking of the Felicity Ace in the Atlantic Ocean. Other recent stability-related accidents have included the Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Georgia and Modern Express in the Bay of Biscay.

Excerpt from:
Ro-Ro 'Al Salmy 6' Capsizes and Sinks Off Iraq - gCaptain

A total of 81 mass graves of Yazidis have been found in Sinjar district in northern Iraq since 2014, according to a Kurdish official on Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Baravan Hamdi, Deputy Minister of the Martyrs in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), said these graves were dug by the Daesh terrorist group.

"These graves are acts of ethnic cleansing," he told Anadolu Agency.

The KRG Deputy Minister said two mass graves were found two weeks ago in the Hardan village in Sinjar, and several bodies were exhumed and sent to Baghdad for DNA analysis and identification.

The Sinjar district was captured by the Daesh terrorist group in 2014 and, in 2015, the PKK terror organisation managed to establish a foothold in the area.

According to Iraqi figures, the Daesh group killed 1,293 Yazidis and kidnapped 6,417, of whom 3,530 had managed to flee from the group's grip.

READ: Daesh detention centres are ticking time bombs in Iraq

Read more from the original source:
81 mass graves of Yazidis found in Iraq's Sinjar since 2014: Official - Middle East Monitor