Baghdad: The United Nations confirmed on Monday that the Iraqi government has taken serious steps toward asset recovery and combating corruption.
According to Iraqi News Agency, the Director of the ‘Anti-Corruption and Arbitration Enhancement’ project at the United Nations Programme, Yama Tarabi, told Al-Sabah newspaper that ‘the anti-corruption programme has witnessed serious and sustained efforts by the government, particularly regarding the pursuit of asset recovery.’
He added that ‘Iraq can narrow the gap between cases in which damages have been established and the number of civil lawsuits by addressing procedural errors and improving the availability, quality, and continuity of legal representation,’ stressing ‘the importance of maintaining the approach of pursuing claims, even where judgments have not yet become final in certain cases.’
Meanwhile, Abdallah Al Dardari, Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said that over the past ten years, UNDP has worked to support Iraqi institutions in this field.
He explained that the areas of cooperation included supporting the development of Iraq’s National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Strategy, providing technical assistance in drafting key legal reforms to curb corruption, supplying experts and equipment to the Iraqi Anti-Corruption Academy, organising specialised training programmes for various institutions, and facilitating international cooperation, including legal assistance agreements with partner countries, the extradition of corruption suspects, and the recovery of stolen assets.
Al Dardari noted that the positive progress achieved in combating corruption over the past decade has been reflected in a modest improvement in international indicators. Iraq advanced on the Corruption Perceptions Index from 161st out of 168 countries, with a score of 16 points in 2015, to 136th out of 182 countries, with a score of 28 points, in 2025.
He affirmed that the current government is committed to continuing this approach, stressing that Iraq needs anti-corruption efforts as a fundamental means of improving public services, attracting investment, accelerating social and economic development, and enhancing the efficient use of resources for the benefit of the Iraqi people.
He further stated that ‘from a development perspective, corruption should not be viewed narrowly as merely the theft of public resources that should have been invested in development and improving people’s welfare, despite the severity of that direct harm. Globally, the direct financial losses caused by corruption are estimated at approximately $3.6 trillion annually, a figure nearly equivalent to the current global financing gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda.’