Baghdad: Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi chaired the inaugural session of the Supreme Population Council on Monday, resulting in the release of six vital recommendations aimed at addressing key demographic challenges.
According to Iraqi News Agency, the meeting was attended by an array of influential figures, including the Ministers of Education, Labor and Social Affairs, Water Resources, Youth and Sports, and Environment. The session also saw the presence of the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, the Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in Baghdad, alongside several heads of commissions and directors general, as stated in a communiqué from the Prime Minister’s Media Office.
The session undertook a comprehensive review of the resolutions from the seventh regular session of the Arab Council for Population and Development, which was held in Baghdad. Discussions centered on Iraq’s support for the Council’s activities and the implementation of resolutions by the National Commit
tee for Population Policies.
A significant part of the session was dedicated to evaluating the overall report on measures taken by the relevant sectoral ministries. These measures aim to implement recommendations from international conferences and honor national commitments concerning population issues.
The Council’s recommendations are as follows:
1. Conduct a study to evaluate the National Strategy for Family Planning and Birth Spacing, and support programs that aim to reduce the gap in unmet needs for family planning through 2030.
2. Increase the number of health centers providing family planning services, particularly in rural and remote areas, through the Ministry of Health. This aims to improve utilization rates and reduce maternal mortality rates.
3. Adopt a national program to enhance newborn care services in government health institutions to reduce infant mortality rates by 2030.
4. Raise the ceiling on loans granted to women by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and simplify the procedur
es for obtaining them. This initiative supports women’s economic empowerment and efforts to reduce unemployment among women. The Ministry will also consider establishing a fund to support small-scale projects for women, in coordination with the National Department for Iraqi Women at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
5. Use the results of the 2024 General Population and Housing Census as the primary database for planning. All sectoral ministries are required to update their strategic plans based on the accurate demographic, social, and economic data provided by the census.
6. Establish a permanent Higher Committee for the Management of Demographic Transition, chaired by the Ministry of Planning and comprising relevant entities. This committee will monitor indicators related to age structure and urban growth and submit annual reports to the Supreme Population Council.