The National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan (2013 – 2017) for Iraq

Iraq faces several challenges, particularly preserving and improving the environment, solving its problems and harmonizing it with national, regional and international requirements. The process of preparing and adopting integrated, flexible and applicable strategies with clear goals in light of the available human and financial resources constitutes an urgent need for decision makers in Iraq and an SD prerequisite and fundamental condition. Environment in Iraq suffers from several problems which can be attributed to natural and human factors and incorrect policies that isolated Iraq from the rest of the world for many years due to consequent wars, international sanctions and the execrable economic blockade. These factors, among others, have formed significant pressures on the environment. Therefore, rehabilitating and improving the environment quality entails multi-level collaboration of stakeholder efforts to develop environmental strategies and action plans to achieve the goals of reaching a promising future where we and future generations live safely and stably in a healthy and sustainable environment. This supports Iraq’s objective to embrace the future by adopting integrated, flexible and applicable strategies with clear goals and guaranteed results.