Iraq

2023 - 2 - 9

Post cover — Image courtesy of "ReliefWeb"

Multi-stakeholder meeting focuses on the extension of social ... (ReliefWeb)

Basra, Iraq (ILO News) Farm owners, representatives of the farmers' association union, government officials, local Civil Society Organizations, ...

"These efforts go hand-in-hand with efforts to enhance labour governance and working conditions for workers particularly those in the agriculture sector -- a sector which provides a critical source of employment and income but which suffers from a number of decent work deficits including lack of social protection coverage." The draft law will bring in several changes that would make the Iraqi social security legislation closer to meeting the minimum requirements of International Labour Standards, including extending coverage to informal economy workers including those in the agriculture sector. Al Najjar also commended the sessions organised by the ILO on rights at work and social security in the agricultural sector of Al-Zubair District of the Basra Governorate, conducted with farm owners and workers in the area, and reiterated the importance of expanding coverage of social security to the rest of Basra. Currently, coverage of social security for workers in the informal sectors is very limited, which puts farmers and their family at higher risk of poverty related to economic shocks and lifecycle risks. There are persistent decent work deficits at the farm level including insufficient occupational safety and health measures and lack of social protection coverage. Assistant Governor of Basra, Hassan Al Najjar reaffirmed that "the continued cooperation between the Basra Governorate, the ILO and the European Union to advance the agricultural sector, in all its sub-sectors, will allow us to identify and further promote the positive elements, and address the negative ones."

Iraq jails YouTuber, TikToker over 'indecent' videos (The Manila Times)

BAGHDAD: A court in Iraq's capital Baghdad has sentenced two Iraqis to prison time over 'indecent' videos on social media that 'undermine modesty and public ...

"This has nothing to do with freedom of expression," Maan said. The misdemeanor court has handed YouTuber Hassan Sajamah a two-year prison term, while Om Fahad, who has a following of some 23,000 users on TikTok, has been sentenced to six months, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement. BAGHDAD: A court in Iraq's capital Baghdad has sentenced two Iraqis to prison time over "indecent" videos on social media that "undermine modesty and public morality," the judiciary said on Wednesday.

Foot-and-mouth variant hits Iraq buffaloes, threatening livelihoods (FRANCE 24)

Despite vaccinating his entire herd against foot-and-mouth disease, Iraqi farmer Saadoun Roumi has lost five of his 15 buffaloes to a variant never before ...

"This is the question veterinarian services are now trying to answer." "From where and how did this virus come to Iraq?" "The administered vaccines aren't effective," Roumi said. Along with the five he has already lost, all his buffaloes were vaccinated against the disease as part of a campaign by authorities in 2021. "Every day, there are between 20 and 25 cases in the village." But this year, "infections are high and can be counted in the hundreds" in the province, compared with the dozens usually recorded, he said.

Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund I3RF : Trust Fund ... (ReliefWeb)

Evaluation and Lessons Learned in Arabic on Iraq about Recovery and Reconstruction and Epidemic; published on 8 Feb 2023 by World Bank.

This is followed by a section on Results and Highlights which covers the achievements of active projects of the Fund throughout the last year. This I3RF 2022 annual report places a strong focus on results achieved from a range of multi-sectoral projects supported by the Fund. The Trust Fund provides a platform for financing and strategic dialogue for reconstruction and development in Iraq, with a focus on promoting targeted national reform efforts and improving the effectiveness of public and private investments in socio-economic recovery and reconstruction.

Benchmarks extend gains; Iraq, Qatar set March OSPs | Hellenic ... (Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide)

While Iraqi crude flows and exports have resumed, exports of Azeri crude were still stopped. The Azeri BTC pipeline was, however, still working and sending oil ...