27 July 2006Press Release
IK/552
Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York
UNITED NATIONS, IRAQ JOINTLY ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF FIVE-YEAR INTERNATIONAL COMPACT AIMED AT ACHIEVING NATIONAL VISION OF UNITED, FEDERAL, DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY
Following is the joint statement on the launch of an International Compact with Iraq, issued today in New York:
The Government of Iraq and the United Nations announce the formal launch of the International Compact with Iraq. This Compact is an initiative of the Government of Iraq for a new partnership with the international community. The Compact, jointly chaired by the Government of the Republic of Iraq and the United Nations, with the support of the World Bank, will, over the next five years, bring together the international community and multilateral organizations to help Iraq achieve its national vision.
The Government’s vision is that, five years from now, Iraq shall be a united, federal and democratic country, at peace with its neighbours and itself, well on its way to sustainable economic self-sufficiency and prosperity and well integrated in its region and the world. Guided by the Millennium Development Goals, the Government will work to meet basic needs, protect the rights of all citizens and ensure the optimal use of the country’s resources for the common good.
To achieve this vision, the Government of Iraq has undertaken to make progress on political inclusion and consensus-building, on the rule of law and on the establishment of professional security forces. The Government of Iraq is committed to tackling corruption, creating a transparent and efficient oil sector, developing a solid budgetary framework, improving governance and building and consolidating effective national institutions. The United Nations is committed to support and facilitate the Compact, through its mission and agencies in Iraq and the good offices of the Secretary-General and his representatives.
The Government of Iraq recognizes that good governance and resolution of security and political challenges are prerequisites for progress in all other areas, including economic revival and normalization. It will, therefore, make every effort in the coming period to realize these conditions, with the assistance of regional and international partners, in order to achieve the Compact’s primary focus: building a framework for Iraq’s economic transformation and integration into the regional and global economy.
In their capacity as co-chairs, the Government of Iraq and the United Nations have appointed an executive committee that will also include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other regional financial institutions, which will manage the process towards the adoption of the Compact and beyond. The Executive Committee will assist the Government to formulate a strategy for economic regeneration and fundamental reforms for integrating Iraq within the regional and global communities.
The co-chairs will also work with a preparatory group of countries and organizations to develop the Compact via a consultative process. This group will provide support, advice and guidance on the Compact. In September, broader consultations with the international community will take place in New York at the next meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, followed by an update to finance ministers at the annual World Bank/International Monetary Fund meeting in Singapore.
It is envisaged that the finalized Compact, including key priorities, benchmarks and commitments, will be presented by the Government of Iraq by the end of 2006. We invite the international community to commit their support to the process that we have begun today and, ultimately, to join as valued partners in the International Compact with Iraq.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/ik552.doc.htm
27 April 2007
FACT SHEET ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMPACT WITH IRAQ
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will co-launch with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki the International Compact with Iraq in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, on 3 May, 2007:
What is the International Compact with Iraq?
The International Compact with Iraq is an initiative of the Government of Iraq for a new partnership with the international community. The Compact is a five-year national plan that includes benchmarks and mutual commitments from both Iraq and the international community, all with the aim of helping Iraq on the path towards peace, sound governance and economic reconstruction.
The United Nations -- through the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Political Issues, Ibrahim Gambari -- and Iraq have been co-chairs of the preparatory process, which has also had the support of the World Bank.
The Compact affirms the Iraqi Government’s vision that, in five years, Iraq shall be a united, federal and democratic country, at peace with its neighbours and itself, well on its way to sustainable economic self-sufficiency and prosperity, and well integrated in its region and the world. Guided by the Millennium Development Goals -- global antipoverty targets agreed to at a United Nations Summit in 2000 -- the Government will work to meet basic needs, protect the rights of all citizens and ensure the optimal use of the country’s resources for the common good.
The International Compact is premised on a reciprocal relationship between peacebuilding and economic prosperity. Together, national reconciliation, improved security, better governance and continued economic and social reforms will help unlock Iraq’s own development potential. Iraq’s international partners will provide financial, technical and political support to help meet these challenges on the basis of mutual commitments.
As such, it is a shared vision and a mutual commitment, which allows the international community to support Iraq’s priorities, as envisaged and implemented by Iraqis.
Representing a negotiated agreement among United Nations Member States and the Government of Iraq, the Compact tries to provide a way forward. This has been developed with the support of the United Nations and World Bank, through genuine, multilateral consultation and due diligence in all respects.
Objectives
The Compact aims to:
-- Chart the way forward to realize the aspirations of the Iraqi people in establishing a unified, federal democratic State dominated by security and stability, in which all citizens are enjoying equal rights and duties.
-- Establish a prosperous economy with a diverse production base capable of providing the requirements of sustainable development, based on market factors, and open to the world, while integrated with it and with regional economies, in particular neighbouring countries.
-- Make Iraq an active member in regional and international organizations, and capable of providing assistance to poor and needy countries.
-- Allow the private sector a leading role in the economic activity, with a specified role for the Government in regulating this activity and protecting it from the effects of the foreign fluctuation.
-- Protect poor and vulnerable groups from the deprivation and starvation, and provide Iraqi citizens with proper standards of public social services.
Role of Government of Iraq
-- To achieve this vision, the Government of Iraq undertakes to make progress on political inclusion and consensus-building, on the rule of law and on the establishment of professional security forces. The Government of Iraq is committed to tackling corruption, creating a transparent and efficient oil sector, developing a solid budgetary framework, improving governance and building and consolidating effective national institutions. The United Nations is committed to support and facilitate the Compact, through its Mission and agencies in Iraq and the good offices of the Secretary-General and his representatives.
-- The Government of Iraq recognizes that good governance and resolution of security and political challenges are prerequisites for progress in all other areas, including economic revival and normalization. It will, therefore, make every effort in the coming period to realize these conditions, with the assistance of regional and international partners, in order to achieve the Compact’s primary focus: building a framework for Iraq’s economic transformation and integration into the regional and global economy.
Role of United Nations
-- The Compact initiative is co-chaired by the Government of Iraq and the United Nations. Other partners include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other regional financial institutions.
-- Over the Compact’s lifespan, the United Nations Secretariat, its agencies, funds and programs will continue to support the implementation of the Compact. They will do so through the International Reconstructions Fund Facility for Iraq and the United Nations Country Team Joint Priority Action Plan, designed to deliver direct assistance to basic services that are of vital humanitarian importance to the people of Iraq.
-- The United Nations will support establishing a formal Secretariat for the Compact, working closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, as the focal point of the Government.
Prepared by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Public Information.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/note6078.doc.htm
2008
International Compact with Iraq - Annual Review Conference in Stockholm Welcome to the first annual review conference of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), Stockholm, 29 May 2008.
For information media • not an official record International Compact with Iraq - Annual Review Conference in Stockholm
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/note6078.doc.htm
MOST RECENT UPDATE ~
IRAQ FEBRUARY 2010 SECURITY COUNCIL REPORT AND ICI UPDATE ...
As Iraq makes progress, UN to focus more on social and economic development
UN News Centre
18 January 2010 – United Nations efforts to help Iraq continue to evolve with the war-torn country’s progress as the Government is now seeking increasing support for social and economic development in the years to come, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today.
Addressing a conference of the International Compact with Iraq at UN Headquarters in New York, she noted the important advances made since it was launched in 2006 “at a time of great scepticism” in a bid to forge a new partnership with the international community to consolidate peace and pursue political, economic and social development over the next five years.
“There were doubts about Iraq’s readiness for a major commitment; it was feared that it lacked a political process to frame such an overarching vision, and that the institutions were not yet ready for implementation,” she said. “It was also thought that the international community would not provide adequate support, and that the gap between the Government of Iraq and the rest of the world was too great…”
“The Compact offered a new beginning on the path toward peace and prosperity –.a path built on a shared vision between the Government of Iraq and the international community, a path based on the commitment of all partners to devote their goodwill and resources to Iraq’s recovery.”
Now, security has improved, normal life has increasingly returned, markets have re-opened and operate at normal hours, electricity and water delivery have returned to pre-war levels, and Iraq held successful provincial elections a year ago, with parliamentary elections scheduled for early March. The economy is also showing signs of life, oil production is increasing, and international interest in further developing Iraq’s oilfields has been overwhelming.
“All this progress notwithstanding, much work remains to be done,” she said. “Iraq’s challenges today are daunting and numerous. The political process is incomplete, and the country falls far short of its potential with regard to its social and economic development.
“These challenges will require the continued support and know-how of the international community. Iraq still needs its international partners, and the world still needs a peaceful and prosperous Iraq.”
The Compact is jointly chaired by the Iraqi Government and the UN, with the support of the World Bank.
http://www.uniraq.org/newsroom/getarticle.asp?ArticleID=1239
Feb. 11, 2010 ~
Strategizing Investment in the Five-year Plan contains hundreds of important projects
