Dr Oluremi Sogunro, UNFPA Representative to Iraq, held high-level meetings with Mr Mohammed Al-Halbousi, Speaker of the House, Dr Mahdi Al-Allak, Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s office, and Dhiaa Khadum, Head of the Central Statistical Organization, respectively.

With Mr Al-Halbousi, Dr Sogunro discussed the cooperation between the Parliament and UNFPA in regards to the National Strategy for Combatting Violence Against Women in Iraq and the importance of endorsing the law protecting women and girls from domestic violence. For his part, the Speaker applauded UNFPA’s interventions in Iraq and announced his sponsorship of the workshop aiming to finalize the launch of the National Strategy for Combatting Violence Against Women.

Dr Sogunro also met with Dr Mahdi Al Allak who reiterated the Iraqi Government’s support to UNFPA mandate and interventions across Iraq. The talks focused on the establishment of two new Women Shelters in Iraq; one in Basra and one in Anbar with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The two officials also went over the Census planned for Iraq in 2020 and the implementation process.

To underline the importance of the strategic partnership with Ministry of Planning, the UNFPA Representative visited the Head of the Central Statistical Organization with whom he discussed population related-projects, mainly the National Adolescents and Youth Survey and the upcoming Census for Iraq.

UNFPA has committed to providing technical support and external expertise to organise specialized workshops for decision makers in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on the implementation and various preparatory stages required to conduct a census.

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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

For more information or media inquiries please contact: Salwa Moussa, Communications Specialist, smoussa@unfpa.org