Experts, tripartite constitutes and policymakers join debate on Iraq’s social security environment
Supported by the European Union, a national conference was organised by the ILO and the American University of Iraq-Baghdad, to present research papers which cover various topics related to policies, gaps and opportunities in the creation of an inclusive social security environment in Iraq.
The one-day event in Baghdad was organised by the International Labour Organization and the Centre for Policy Research at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad, with the support of the European Union. It included a series of panel discussions focusing on findings generated through research papers authored by Iraqi thought leaders and domain experts that covered various issues related to policies, gaps and opportunities in the creation of an inclusive social security environment in Iraq.
The conference was attended by Acting Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, judge Salar Abdul Sattar Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Planning for Technical Affairs, Maher Hammad Johan, and Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Zakia Sayed Salih. It brought together scholars and experts, as well as other senior representatives from the government, Members of Parliament, employers' and workers' organizations of Iraq, key policymakers and practitioners, and UN agencies.
In Iraq, the social protection system covers two distinct groups of the population: public workers and the poor. Apart from the two groups, coverage of other working adults and their families, including persons in the private sector and especially those in unstable forms of wage employment and the self-employed, is not automatic.
With the support of the European Union, the ILO has been working with its tripartite constituents - government, employer, and worker representatives- to address barriers to access social security, including reviewing the draft social security laws for the private sector, for Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. If passed, the draft laws will introduce significant changes, most important of which include extending social security coverage to workers in the informal sector, the self-employed, and business owners and introducing new benefits to all workers in the private sector, both formal and informal workers.
In parallel, the ILO is supporting the government of both Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and partners in their efforts to upgrade institutional capacity that allows for more efficient delivery of services related to social security, social protection, and employment within the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, as well as their readiness to respond to the plans of extending social security in the informal sector.