The ministry of planning: The Ministry of Planning held its third meeting on Wednesday regarding the preparation of a guide for targeting poverty hotspots. The meeting was chaired by the Undersecretary for Technical Affairs, Maher Hammad Johaan, and included participation from a team from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) via Zoom.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the meeting focused on the development of a comprehensive guide for targeting poverty hotspots. This initiative is based on the results of the general population and housing census and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), utilizing data from the socio-economic survey conducted by the Central Statistical Organization and the Geographic Information System (GIS).

The meeting also reviewed the methodology for testing the indicators and dimensions of multidimensional poverty, as well as the initial results of the indicators and the technical aspects of preparing the guide. Furthermore, the meeting reviewed the latest developments from dialogue sessions held with ESCWA experts.

The session included a discussion of specific indicators comprising five dimensions and 15 indicators. Data was available for 11 of these indicators, including those related to education and health. The meeting addressed living standards, employment, and trauma, with ongoing discussions with ESCWA and relevant government entities to finalize the guide.

Attendees included UNFPA Senior Advisor Mahdi Mohsen Al-Alaq, Director General of the Technical Department at the Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority Qusay Abdul Fattah, Director General of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Executive Administration Muayyad Ismail, and several department and division heads from the Ministry.