Baghdad: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has directed the provision of soft loans to support small and medium-sized projects for women, as part of initiatives aimed at empowering women economically and enhancing their participation in the labor market.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a statement from the Prime Minister's Media Office revealed that Al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the Higher Council for Women's Affairs, during which he extended congratulations to the members of the council and to all Iraqi women on the occasion of the Iraqi National Day. He emphasized the importance of women's institutions participating in this national celebration, which embodies the values of patriotism and belonging.

The meeting addressed mechanisms to support and empower women economically, with the approval of the 'Basma' (Fingerprint) initiative. This initiative aims to provide soft-interest loans for women to establish small and medium-sized projects, in collaboration with a group of banks and the Iraqi Guarantees Company.

Al-Sudani also instructed female members of the Higher Council for Women's Affairs to coordinate with the Businesswomen Council and the Federation of Industries. This collaboration is intended to facilitate meetings with female entrepreneurs and business owners, thereby strengthening communication and support for women-led initiatives across various work sectors.

The statement further mentioned the approval of launching the second phase of a training program for agricultural engineers in 15 governorates, targeting 100 engineers per governorate. Additionally, a program will be initiated to train veterinary doctors, civil, and architectural engineers in Baghdad as a first phase, which will cover 500 trainees.

In efforts to support women in the political arena, the Prime Minister directed coordination with the Independent High Electoral Commission to train female candidates and protect them from electronic blackmail.

Moreover, Al-Sudani instructed that the head of the Child Welfare Commission be hosted at the next meeting to review the commission's work and achievements in child protection.