The Minister of Planning Discusses With The World Bank Ways To Enhance National Efforts To Counter Coronavirus

Baghdad / NINA /- Minister of Planning, Nuri Sabah Al-Dulaimi, discussed with Ramzi Numan, the Resident Representative of the World Bank, a number of issues of common concern, and ways to enhance national efforts to confront the new Coronavirus pandemic. Al-Dulaimi appreciated, during the meeting, according to a ministry statement, the level of support provided by the World Bank mission to the efforts of the Iraqi government, calling for a restructuring of international support provided to Iraq according to the priorities of the current health and economic conditions. He added that the measures adopted by the Ministry to mitigate these consequences at the immediate and medium levels, and to provide an integrated vision to address the future repercussions that the crisis will produce, represented by the high rates of poverty and unemployment, as a result of the economic downturn and the decline in growth rates and the decline in gross domestic product. Al-Dulaimi announced that the governorates of Al-Diwaniyah, Maysan, Dhi Qar, Wasit, Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala and Sulaymaniyah are included in the Social Fund for Development project supporting the Ministry's strategic plans for poverty alleviation, bringing the total of the 11 governorates included to the provinces of (Muthanna, Salah al-Din, Dohuk) last year, confirming adding the remaining governorates during the next year. For his part, the Resident Representative of the World Bank in Iraq praised the efforts of the Minister and the swift measures taken by the Ministry of Planning to face the repercussions of the current crisis, stressing the World Bank's readiness to provide possible support and restructuring of loans granted to Iraq, and in such a way as to protect the vulnerable sectors of society./ End