The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are especially severe for people in fragile countries where health systems, government structures and social safety nets are weak. The impacts both highlight and deepen social inequalities. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has produced a fragility analysis for Iraq to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic and diminishing oil revenues affect the country’s fragility. The analysis applies a multidimensional concept of fragility based on the methodology developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This policy paper summarizes the fragility analysis to inform current and future policy decisions and strategic priorities of the Government of Iraq, the United Nations system and donor partners.

The policy paper, which applies a multidimensional concept of fragility based on the methodology developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),  was developed in consultation with UN agencies in Iraq, notably the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).