Al-Sudani sponsors {Iraq Climate Conference} in Basra

Al-Sudani sponsors {Iraq Climate Conference} in Basra

Iraq  2023/03/13
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 Muhammad al-Ansari

Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani announced the launch of a major campaign to plant 5 million trees and palm trees throughout the country, and while he revealed the progress in preparing Iraq's vision for climate action until the year 2030 during his inauguration and sponsorship yesterday, Sunday, of the "Iraq Climate Conference" held in Basra, the Prime Minister inaugurated Al-Sayyab Teaching Hospital The station has been suspended since 2009, as well as the Silo of Umm Qasr Al-Mutala, also since 2016. He also visited the large port of Faw and followed up on the progress of work in it. 
Al-Sudani said, in a speech at his sponsorship and opening of the "Iraq Climate Conference" hosted by Basra: "The government is proceeding with its program, which has given special importance to addressing the effects of climate change, and has put in place several treatments to mitigate the economic, environmental and social impacts that accompany the change." 
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of following up on everything related to the implementation of the Iraqi vision for climate action, in particular clean and renewable energy projects, and efforts to preserve Iraq's rights in the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. During the conference, a major initiative was launched to plant 5 million trees and palm trees in all governorates of Iraq. .
In his speech, he pointed out that the "Iraq Climate Conference" establishes a new phase to confront the severe effects of climate change in Iraq, noting that "climatic changes, which were represented by high temperatures, scarcity of rain, and an increase in dust storms, with a decrease in green spaces, threatened food and health security." environment, and societal security.
He explained that "more than 7 million citizens have been affected by the suffering of their regions from drought, and they have been displaced by hundreds of thousands because they lost their livelihoods that depend on agriculture and hunting, and the most unfortunate thing is the severe drought that afflicted our beautiful marshes."

Iraq Vision 2030
He stressed that "the national priority to limit climate change was to provide the nationally specified contribution to reduce emissions, and to prepare national strategies for the environment, biodiversity and pollution control." He added, "We are working on preparing Iraq's vision for climate action until the year 2030."
Al-Sudani indicated that he directed "to hold this conference to represent a promising start in environmental and climate action commensurate with the size of the challenges we face," stressing that "the government has sought, within its government program, to give priority to confronting the effects of climate change through a number of projects that contribute to reducing emissions."
He revealed that the projects he referred to include "establishing renewable energy stations, rehabilitating closed sanitary landfill sites, projects to combat desertification, irrigation techniques that regulate water, and heavy water treatments." He added, "We have recently signed contracts for the fifth licensing round to invest associated gas and stop burning it to reduce emissions." carbon ratios 
big".
He continued by saying, "We are continuing to sign contracts for the construction of power plants from renewable sources, to cover a third of our electricity needs by the year 2030," noting that "the Economic Ministerial Council will set a time frame for implementing projects of biodiversity and pollution control strategies, and the national contribution document for emissions reduction." And he revealed his directives to expand the "national initiative to reduce emissions" to include various sectors, considering that "the package of projects to reduce traffic in Baghdad is one of the solutions to reduce emissions."

Major afforestation campaign
Al-Sudani announced, "The launch of a major initiative for afforestation, which includes planting 5 million trees and palm trees in all governorates of Iraq, accompanied by the launch of a national guide for urban afforestation for the first time in Iraq." He added, "We also launched a natural cover development project with the aim of combating desertification through important contracts with specialized international companies." Especially in areas where dust storms originate locally.
He stressed that "Basra Governorate has priority in implementing these projects due to its critical environmental situation," stressing that "caring for Basra's environment is the criterion for the government's seriousness in addressing the file of environmental impacts," and that "the Council of Ministers will devote periodic sessions to follow up the implementation of Iraq's climate agenda, implementation of environmental projects.

drought and upstream states
Al-Sudani called on “friendly countries and all United Nations organizations to support us in facing the effects of climate change.” He also called on “states parties to international environmental agreements to strengthen the terms of international cooperation in the joint management of transboundary river basins, and to preserve the rights of riparian countries,” stressing that “ Monopoly on water control in the upstream countries increases the vulnerability of countries in facing the effects of climate change.
At the end of his speech at the Climate Conference in Basra, the Prime Minister revealed the call for a regional conference to be held in Baghdad soon, to enhance cooperation and joint coordination, and exchange experiences and programs among the countries of the region in facing climate impacts.

Al Sayyab Hospital
On the sidelines of his visit to Basra Governorate, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani inaugurated Al-Sayyab Teaching Hospital, and said in a speech during the opening, which was reported by his media office: "The completion of hospitals is part of the government's priorities, and the health sector comes at the forefront of its work program."
He added, "We formed a workshop two months ago with broad powers, and its efforts resulted in ending the delay in the project and the completion of the hospital." He referred to setting a plan to complete the lagging projects, and said: "Today we are opening one of the most important lagging hospitals since 2009," stressing that "soon we will implement it." A new vision to provide service in the health sector, represented by contracting with international companies to manage and operate hospitals.
He stressed, "We are working to end the phenomenon of citizens being forced to travel outside Iraq for treatment, and to provide it instead inside the country."
Al-Sayyab Hospital, which has a capacity of (492) beds, and consists of six floors, includes all services and general medical specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, children, gynecology, eyes, nose, ear, throat, fractures and joints, in addition to specialized centers for kidney diseases, and a tumor center with linear accelerators for radiotherapy, to serve the governorates. the southern region and the citizens of Basra governorate, in addition to the hospital including a heart catheterization center, a burns treatment center, and a physiotherapy center. The opening of this hospital comes within the directives of the Prime Minister, in which he emphasized the completion of lagging projects, since the hospital had laid its foundation stone since 2009, Its completion was delayed due to financial and technical obstacles.

Silo or Qasr
Al-Sudani also opened Umm Qasr Silo in Basra Governorate, after a seven-year hiatus.
The Prime Minister confirmed, according to a statement by his media office, that "the opening of the Umm Qasr Silo project coincides with the government's vision of reforming the performance and efficiency of the productive sectors," stressing "the government's determination to secure food security requirements that it adopted in its executive program, in a way that helps to face various challenges." ".
It is noteworthy that the Umm Qasr silo has been suspended since 2016, and the government proceeded to complete it quickly with a design capacity of 60 thousand tons. 20 thousand tons were put into operation within a month, and work is continuing to operate 45 thousand tons within a month and a half.
The silo has been linked to the railway line in order to transport wheat from the southern ports, passing through all the governorates that have railways, up to Nineveh governorate, which will contribute to shortening time and saving money.

Gas investment 
On the sidelines of the climate conference in Basra, Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani revealed the contract for a solar energy project with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts.
Abdul-Ghani said, "The government has paid attention to focusing on gas investment and benefiting from this energy." He added, "The ministry worked to review existing projects in gas investment in the southern, central and northern fields," noting that "the amount of gas used in generating electric power reached 56%.
And he indicated, "For the first time in Iraq, a solar energy project with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts will be contracted," explaining that it is "a large and exemplary project and an example of the use of renewable energy."
Abdul-Ghani added, "The ministry is working on several projects in the coming period, including a project to invest 200 million cubic feet of gas in Nasiriyah, as well as a project to invest 300 million cubic feet in Maysan, which is one of the promising projects, as power stations will be installed that depend on this gas." ".
He pointed out that "the fifth licensing round, mostly gas fields, provides about 750 to 1,000 million cubic feet of gas, and it will be implemented within 3 years as a first stage."

Clean energy projects
In turn, the Minister of Planning, Muhammad Ali Tamim, said on the sidelines of the Iraq Climate Conference: "The ministry worked on developing big plans that started with the clean energy project, as budgets were allocated for it. Some of these projects were included in the budget, including those related to clean energy and water resources projects." 
He pointed out that "the Ministry of Municipalities allocated a budget for it, for the first time, and it is considered one of the largest budgets that it obtained, which focused on infrastructure projects and what is related to wastewater treatment, heavy water and sewage, in addition to allocating a budget to the Ministry of Oil to implement associated gas projects and the use of fossil energy." that reduce carbon emissions. 
He pointed to "allocating an amount to the Ministry of Agriculture to start a large-scale operation of sprinkler irrigation machines in cooperation with the Ministry of Water Resources," noting that "all projects were developed by the Ministry of Planning and approved by the small committee for preparing the budget." 
He stressed that "the ministry is working on follow-up, monitoring, and developing strategies and work in light of the sensitive circumstance, the lack of water resources, and the neighboring countries' failure to share with Iraq the damage caused by global warming."

Conference details
Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani directed a while ago to hold the Iraq Climate Conference for the year 2023 to be an important joint in climate action and a milestone towards implementing the country's plan that was framed by the National Contributions Document that was submitted to the Paris Climate Agreement at the end of 2021, according to a government source.
And the source indicated that "eight sessions will be held within the conference over a period of two days, including the opening session, the presentation of a documentary film entitled (Iraq's Thirst) and a speech by the Prime Minister."
He pointed out that "the conference discussions will focus on explaining the national plans related to the climate and clarifying the mechanisms of national and international financing and the size of the planned transformation towards a supportive green economy and environmentally clean mechanisms." He continued, "The most important problems facing the country, such as water scarcity, will be highlighted, as well as the most vulnerable areas affected by climate change, such as Basra."
And he added, "The conference will be an opportunity to clarify the role of the national and international private sector in the stage of implementing climate-related plans and projects and the role of youth in leading the future of climate action."
The government source went on to say: "The academic role and scientific research in climate action will be highlighted, as well as aspects of caring for women and discussing opportunities and projects available for youth and women based on the National Contributions Document."
He concluded by saying: "The ministers (environment, oil, planning, finance, electricity, water resources and agriculture), the governor of the central bank, the advisor to the president of the Kurdistan region, the governor of Basra, the head of the United Nations mission in Iraq and the European Union mission in Iraq and the UK ambassador to Iraq on behalf of the donor group will attend and participate in the conference." And the French ambassador to Iraq, the representative of the World Bank, the director of the World Bank in Iraq, representatives of the private sector in the center and the region, Iraqi civil society organizations, United Nations organizations and relevant ministries.

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