On her first official visit to an Iraqi official, UNFPA Representative, Dr Rita Columbia, met with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Adnan Darjal, to discuss the continuous collaboration between the Fund and the Ministry and the youth vision 2030. 

The Minister and Dr Columbia emphasised the need for youth-centred strategies and projects to pave the way for young people in Iraq to reach their full potential. 

Mr Darjal shared with the UNFPA Representative the Ministry’s vision for young people which included the development of a five-year plan that prioritises youth’s need and strengthens their role as the drive for change in Iraq, with a focus on the most vulnerable groups among young people. 

For her part, Dr Columbia reaffirmed UNFPA commitment to helping young people realise their full potential in life and places their needs, aspirations and ideals at the core of the Fund’s work to support first and foremost the Government of Iraq’s vision of youth and the social-economic development of the country.

She discussed the need to mobilise young people, especially girls, to become leaders and empower them and build their capacity to be engaged in decision-making as part of the Ministry’s agenda for youth development, 

“As part of the United Nations family in Iraq, UNFPA will continue to work with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to build the capacity of Iraqi youth in peace-building, leadership and volunteerism to support young people across the country, especially girls,” said Dr Columbia.

At the end of the meeting, the UNFPA Representative thanked Minister Darjal for his trust in UNFPA and for the strong and long-term partnership with the Ministry.

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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth 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