In Iraq, Director-General co-launches $39-million climate resilience project

Baghdad – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu attended the launch in Baghdad of a $39-million climate resilience project as part of a three-day visit to Iraq that also saw him meet several local farmers.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF)-funded project, titled "Strengthening Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Iraq" (SRVALI)," was launched on the sidelines of the 5th Baghdad International Water Conference in the presence of senior government officials, international partners and United Nations representatives.

With a total investment of $39 million, the SRVALI project aims to directly benefit rural households in the governorates of Karbala, Najaf, and Muthanna regions, which are increasingly affected by drought, land degradation, and water scarcity. The project includes a generous co-financing from the Government of Canada and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

At the launch, the Director-General emphasized that the SRVALI project is a testament to Iraq's strong national ownership and commitment to delivering sustainable solutions to those most affected by climate change. He commended the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources, Planning, and Agriculture for their exemplary partnership throughout the project's development.

During his visit to Iraq, the Director-General also visited the Karbala Governorate, where he met with women farmers and inaugurate a women-group dairy center.

“Pleased to join farmers and dairy processing women’s groups in Iraq to launch the Rural Dairy Center. A step forward in boosting local value chains, nutrition and women’s empowerment—key pillars of agrifood systems transformation, Qu said after the visit on Sunday.

Visit to the Kurdistan Region             

On Monday 26 May, the Director-General visited the Kurdistan Region where he had the opportunity to meet with high-level regional government authorities, including the President of the Kurdistan Region, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, and the President of the Diwan Council of Ministers, to discuss strengthening of cooperation at the regional level in support of agrifood system transformation, in particular in matters related to climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable water management, digital innovation, and inclusive rural development, as part of the broader FAO programme in the Republic of Iraq.

On Tuesday, the last day of his visit to Iraq, the Director-General visited the Erbil Basin, where he had the chance to meet with farmers from the village of Jazhnakan and attend a field demonstration of a WaPOR programme project.

Here, the Director-General inspected two different wheat varieties and praised the taste and quality of the high-quality variety.