Iraq, 2013

I have

great pleasure in participating in the current session of

the General Assembly to discuss the vital issue of post-

2015 sustainable development and the achievement of

its goals, which we all hope to be able to accomplish.

Having overcome the serious consequences of

the economic, political and social policies pursued by

the former regime, which were not based on scientific

grounds but on the regime’s personal reckless whims,

Iraq has sought to translate what was agreed upon

by world leaders in 2000, notably the development

goals, into practical and concrete steps. By adopting

plans, strategies and enacting laws that provide for

the necessary mechanisms, Iraq has endeavoured to

achieve the essence of sustainable development, namely,

the integration of its three dimensions: economic,

environmental and social.

Iraq has been working on financial and monetary

policies to increase the financial flows to its public

budget, which is expected to reach approximately

$150 billion in 2015, 40 per cent of which is envisioned

to be allocated to the requisite investment expenditure in

order to provide basic services, improve infrastructure

and strengthen the Iraqi economy.

Iraq is expected to achieve steady growth in the

economic sectors through its 2013-2017 development

plan. However, oil is still the main engine driving the

other sectors, thanks to Iraq’s abundant oil and gas

reserves, which surpass confirmed reserve estimates

by a very large margin. Estimates put the potential of

extractable oil reserves at 250 billion barrels and that of

gas at more than 250 trillion cubic feet.

We expect to double oil production by the end of the

2013-2017 development plan, with a steady increase in

oil exports, which are expected to reach approximately

3,750,000 barrels per day in 2015. Therefore, the 2010-

2014 development plan focuses on environmental

sustainability and the green economy in Iraq. Strategic

goals have been identified for the aforementioned

plan and for the 2013-2017 National Development

Plan, which was recently approved by the Council of

Ministers, as follows:

First, a poverty alleviation strategy will be

adopted as one of the components for the attainment

of sustainable development. The poverty rate fell from

23 per cent in 2007 to 19 per cent in 2012, and it is

hoped that it will fall further, to 16 per cent, in 2017.

Second, the unemployment rate was reduced from

15 per cent in 2007 to 11 per cent in 2012, with an

expected decline to 6 per cent in 2017.

Third, the average per capita income increased

from $3,000 in 2009 to nearly $6,000 in 2012, with an

annual growth rate of 15.9 per cent, clearly indicating

noticeable economic progress.

Fourth, infant mortality must be reduced to

18 deaths per 1,000 births in 2017. It is noteworthy that

those figures fell from 32 deaths per 1,000 births in

2011 to 22 deaths per 1,000 births in 2013. The plan also

aims at reducing the mortality rate for children under

five years of age to 24 deaths per 1,000 live births in

2017, following the decline from 37 in 2011 to 28 deaths

in 2013.

Fifth, primary school enrolment must increase to

95 per cent in 2017 from its 2012 figure of 92 per cent.

Sixth, the plan focuses on increasing secondary school

enrolment to 40 per cent and that of universities to

20 per cent by 2017.

Seventh, the plan works to curb desertification

through the expansion of land reclamation, where

approximately 4 million dunums have been reclaimed.

We hope to reclaim 2.5 million additional dunums by

the end of the plan.

Eighth, it also advocates utilizing modern

techniques in irrigation and increasing the latent

energy of water resources by focusing on the economic

exploitation thereof.

Ninth, it plans to minimize the quantities of burned

gases associated with oil production by devising plans

for full investment therein in 2015.

Tenth, it is hoped that, by beginning the

implementation of a housing programme for the poor

and limited-income people, 1 million housing units will

be available by the end of the plan.

Eleventh, the plan also includes achieving self-

sufficiency in terms of electricity production, which

is envisioned to reach 22,000 megawatts in 2015. That

means a 15 per cent surplus over peak consumption,

while the production of electricity in 2003 was around

2,500 megawatts.

In that connection, we deem it necessary to

emphasize the following significant points during the

sixty-eighth session.

First, Iraq calls for strengthened international

cooperation, particularly South-South cooperation, and

we call upon the international community to fulfil its

financial obligations in relation to achieving sustainable

development.

Second, we favour facilitating the transfer of

technology to developing countries, so as to reduce

the gap between them and the developed world and

contribute to solving the problems caused by global

warming and climate change.

Third, we aim to address the problems caused by

water scarcity, which has destabilized certain regions

of the world, and we stress the need to determine fair

water quotas among riparian States on international

rivers.

Fourth, we want to extend special support for people

suffering from the effects of international conflict and

international economic sanctions, which constitute

significant obstacles to the attainment of sustainable

development.

Fifth, we intend to appropriately address pressures

caused by unsustainable production and consumption

patterns, particularly in the areas of deforestation, water

scarcity, food waste and elevated carbon emissions.

Sixth, we will focus on building effective and

accountable institutions; promoting the rule of

law, property rights, the freedom of expression and

information, in addition to the administration of justice

and the fight against corruption.

Seventh, we want to ensure that the post-2015

plan is underpinned by a new spirit of solidarity,

responsibility, cooperation and integration built on a

common understanding of our humanity and on mutual

respect through the involvement of more participants

from among women, the poor, civil society and local

governments, academia and philanthropic institutions

and charities.

Eighth, we will advocate for the need for

Governments to play a leading role in the field of

education and the need to recognize that education

is a shared responsibility between families, local

communities and civil society organizations, which all

must contribute to the improvement and development of

education and its ways and means.

Ninth, in addition to securing international

cooperation and integration to help address the issues of

sustainable development and the fight against extreme

poverty, we hope to include, as one of the priorities,

the achievement of the objectives of sustainable

development beyond 2015 and the elimination of

violence against women, and to achieve gender equality

with appropriate work and decision-making positions,

as well as comprehensive economic and social security..

Tenth, we stress the importance of existing

standards in the field of human rights, the right to

compensation for victims and equity in cases of human

rights violations.

Eleventh, we look forward to the completion of

tasks by the Working Group that came out of the United

Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, on

financing for development, as well as to the creation

of sound foundations in the field of financing the

sustainable development goals and the post-2015

development agenda in a sustainable and predictable

fashion.

I must stress, however, that no pre-2015 or post-

2015 development is attainable with the existence

of organized terrorism, which thrives on the blood

of innocents and claims their lives. That scourge

has adopted extremism as its approach, death as its

craft, violence as its means, hatred as its culture and

senseless and indiscriminate murder as its hobby and

pastime. Such a phenomenon calls for a strict and

pragmatic stance by the entire world, so as to face up

to terrorism’s brutal, ferocious, crazed and destructive

attacks. International cooperation must seek to dry up

the financial, intellectual and armament resources of

terrorism, so as to save humanity from that scourge and

the universe from its effects and dangers and the harm

it inflicts.

We also wish to reiterate that no sustainable

development can be achieved while the drums of war

are beating in more than one place in the world, because

the concepts of peace, development and life cannot be

upheld in conjunction with the will to bring about death,

war and genocide. Nor can development be achieved in

the absence of peace and security. There will therefore

be no political stability or social development without

peaceful coexistence, security and stability, where

human beings can rest and have shelter.

Against that backdrop, Iraq reiterates its calls and

initiatives for a peaceful solution for each and every

land where gunfire, bloodshed and the smell of death

prevail, and where people witness scenes of destruction.

That is because the logic of force cannot produce peace,

nor can instruments of death or war mills bring about

security or create development or growth.

Hence, we in Iraq, whose people have suffered

tremendously from the horrors of war caused by the

recklessness and folly of the defunct Saddam regime,

are deeply concerned by the worsening events and

tense situation on our borders with Syria, a country

with which we have borders over 600 kilometres long.

That is why we consider the Syrian armed conflict a

serious threat to our security and stability and to the

integrity of our land and people.

For that reason, we insist on putting forward our

initiative to resolve the Syrian crisis politically in order

to avoid a devastating humanitarian disaster unfolding

in our neighbouring country and on our borders, which

could undermine all aspects of the development,

stability and prosperity that we and other States aspire

to achieve in our vitally important region. Therefore,

I invite the Assembly to support the Iraqi initiative

in its effort to ensure peace, security and stability.

Otherwise, developments in the region could take an

unpredictable turn.

Our region is beleaguered by concerns that regional

and large-scale wars may erupt or be triggered by a small

spark. No one can guess the scale, trends, trajectory or

duration of such conflicts. There can be no hope for

sustainable development, stability or prosperity in a

region that is already fragile, volatile, explosive and

complex. That is the message of the Government and

the people of Iraq to the Assembly.

In the aftermath of the fall of the dictatorial regime,

Iraq has opted for democratic mechanisms as the sole

means of ensuring the peaceful rotation of power, for

we believe in the freedom, dignity and rights of human

beings. We have adopted an open-door foreign policy in

our relations with the international community, and are

always looking for common denominators to overcome

disagreement through positive dialogue based on

justice and responsible involvement with neighbouring

countries, our region and the world.

We are firmly convinced that peaceful solutions

are the most effective means to settle all problems

between peoples, nations and Governments. We reject

violence, terrorism and aggression, irrespective of

their sources. Internally, we have called for tolerance,

national reconciliation and cooperation, with a view to

attaining communal coexistence, social peace, stability

and prosperity. These principles were formally adopted

by the National Conference for Social Peace that was

held recently in Baghdad and signed with the code of

national honour by most of Iraq’s leaders and national

representatives.

Iraq suffered more than two decades under

international sanctions because of the invasion of

brotherly Kuwait under the previous regime. However,

today the new Iraq has managed, through its cooperation

with the international community and the development

of good-neighbourly relations with Kuwait, to overcome

the effects of the sanctions. Furthermore, Iraq worked

with the Security Council towards the adoption of

its resolution 2107 (2013), of 27 June 2013, which put

an end to Iraq’s obligations under Chapter VII of the

Charter of the United Nations. Thus, the crises and

problems suffered by the two brotherly countries of

Iraq and Kuwait are now part of the past. Today, we

look forward together to developing our new relations

as a springboard and a solid foundation for a prosperous

future for generations to come that will have positive

effects on the entire region.

Our faith in humankind does not preclude us

from taking up the just cause of the oppressed, the

disadvantaged and the vulnerable, or from showing

solidarity with the just causes of our Arab and Islamic

nation, raising our voices in defence of their rights, their

humanity and their causes. Foremost among those is the

cause of the Palestinian people, who are still suffering

from systematic oppression and ongoing settlement

activities that violate their rights and threaten their

identity and existence. The situation requires the world

and its international institutions to assume their due

roles and responsibilities and stand by a people who

seek only the realization of their rights, freedom,

justice and independence and the establishment of a

viable Palestinian State, without which the Middle East

region will remain prone to tension and instability.

For the sake of a Middle East living in peace and

security, we reiterate the call for the establishment of a

Middle East free of nuclear weapons, with an emphasis

on the need to hold the Helsinki conference on the

establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone as soon

as possible. The failure of international efforts in that

area would adversely affect the credibility of the Treaty

on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which in

turn could lead to an arms race, raising the levels of

violence, tension and instability.

While the United Nations is our agreed forum

for international cooperation to address the problems

and challenges that we face through multilateral

negotiations, we believe that the time has come to

reform its bodies, in particular the Security Council,

as the primary body responsible for international peace

and security, in order to make them consistent with the

aspirations of the peoples of the world in the twenty-

first century and more representative, transparent and

able to meet the challenges they face.

In conclusion, I take this opportunity to express,

on behalf of the Iraqi people, our sincere thanks and

profound appreciation to all those who have contributed

to helping Iraq lift the burden of Chapter VII from its

shoulders. We wish each and every nation all over the

world a free, safe and secure life with dignity and a

promising prosperous future. Peace be upon the

Assembly.