In Cooperation with the (OECD) Organization
NIC holds a workshop to encourage economic development in Iraq
NIC held a workshop on Sunday (2-2-2014) in cooperation with the Investment program in the Middle East and North Africa (OECD) to discuss the policy aiming at encouraging economic development in Iraq, with the attendance of the investment and economy committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Mr. Abdul Aziz Shwan, as a representative of Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Roze Nuri Shaways, and the Chairman of the Advisors Commission in the Council of Ministers , Mr. Thamer Al Ghadhban, with many officials in NIC and ministries .
NIC Chairman, in his opening speech, welcomed the attendees indicating that the workshop is to discuss and evaluate the economic cooperation experience between Iraq and the (OECD) in general and between the (OECD) and NIC in particular.
The workshop summed up in three major axes , the first one represented how to choose the investment regions and how to fetch the investments into these regions starting from the legislative side until reaching the general investment profile to help investors to choose the suitable region in Iraq , the second axis represented investment attracting process related to infrastructure projects with its different kinds, while the third axis dealt with founding legal environment to create a partnership between the foreign and local private sectors, from one side, and the Iraqi state sector in the other side in infrastructure projects .
NIC Chairman referred to the future relations of cooperation between NIC and (OECD) and the procedures of implementing the common goals to achieve the comprehensive development in Iraq. He also thanked the U.S. Department of State and U.S Embassy in Baghdad for their help in financing the work program with (OECD), and he welcomed Sweden readiness to finance these projects in future.
Mohammed Salman al Saadi, chairman of investment and economy committee in Iraq Parliament , praised the role that was played by NIC to find the ways to encourage economic development in Iraq, referring that the Parliament is currently working to legislate and amend the laws related to develop the economic environment with all its multiple aspects such as financial, commercial and industrial, in addition to founding legislative climate to attract investors for the purpose of enhancing and accelerating the economic wheel in Iraq.
In his turn, Mr. Abdul Aziz Shwan in his speech on behalf of Dr. Roze Nuri Shaways said that holding such workshops contributes to extensively discuss the most important steps that should be taken to achieve economic reform , referring that the work of (OECD) comes from the international experts conviction that Iraq can achieve economic development goals that was stressed by national development plan in Iraq from(2013-2017) and what was announced recently about achieving a rate of GDP growth of (9%) assured that .
Mr. Thamer Al Ghadhban said that the government works with International organization of UN, USA and EU to reform the Iraqi economy through reforming the general sector companies and developing the private sector, clarifying that such cooperation produced projects and Drafts of Laws and formed specialized committees to achieve such reforms and overcome obstacles .
At the same time, Miss Robin Mateuman, the economic adviser in US Embassy in Baghdad, thanked NIC for its great role to develop economic relations between the two countries on bases of common interests, adding that the workshop comes in a series of workshops and seminars that are held by US Embassy to support the Iraq economy.
From his part Mr. Anderson Yanson, (OECD) program coordinator in Iraq, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the cooperation between the (OECD) and NIC stressing the (OECD) readiness to continue cooperating with Iraq in the various fields to develop economic process in the country.
It should be noted that the workshop continues for two consecutive days included a number of researches to develop administrative and legal work, it also witnessed the discussion of suitable areas for investment zones and the ways of their construction according to Investment Law no 13 for the year of 2006 and its amendments, this was done in partnership with different ministries (Industry, Planning, Construction and housing, and Finance).