Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Abdallah Al Dardari discussed with Iraqi governments’ officials and Kurdistan Regions’ officials the importance of diversifying sources of income.
In a statement, Kurdistan Region government said that this came during a meeting between UN delegation headed by Al-Dardari and President of Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani, where the UN delegation affirmed that they aim to help Kurdistan Region to diversify sources of income rather than just relying on oil. Barzani affirmed that the future of Iraq and Kurdistan Regin depends on diversifying sources of income and economy, as the two sides discussed the climate change and its serious effect on Iraq, while the UN delegation affirmed support for Iraq and Kurdistan to face it.
The delegation referred to their meeting with the Investment Authority in the Kurdistan Region, in which they expressed UN’s readiness to support Kurdistan region in developing a plan to attract foreign investment and create job opportunities for young people.
Barzani welcomed Al-Dardari and UNDP plans, and wished him luck on his mission, while praising his efforts to help Iraq and Kurdistan Region. Later on Thursday the Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani met with UN delegation and discussed facing the negative effects of climate change and the importance of protecting water sources.
According to a statement by the UNDP, Al-Dardaris’ visit comes at an important time for Iraq after achieving stability and now is going through a transitional phase towards maintaining peace through long-term development solutions.
During his mission, Al-Dardari will meet with senior government officials, private sector, civil society organizations and youth representatives to discuss the UNDP work and its contribution to Iraq’s developmental priorities and achieving the sustainable development goals.
Al-Dardari mission includes field visits to liberated areas to meet with national and local partners, and southern Iraq as well as the Kurdistan region to meet partners and stakeholders in society.
He will also hold discussions with leading thinkers, economists, community leaders, and experts in the fields of climate change, environmental policy, and financing tools to support the green transition towards a sustainable economy.
Source: Kuwait News Agency