IWJF participating in the Public Opinion Management Alliance session on the rise of poverty in Iraq

Baghdad: iwjf

The Iraqi Women Journalists Forum participated in the dialogue session organized by the Public Opinion Management Alliance on Wednesday, 8 July 2020 to discuss the file of high poverty in Iraq, moderated by Professor Majid Abu Kallal, and with the participation of a number of political, academic and media personalities in addition to a number of representatives of civil society organizations and demonstrators.

The discussion included the percentage of poverty that rose in some cities to more than 50% and its types, namely: extreme or absolute poverty and less severe poverty, especially as the World Bank set a global poverty line is $ 1.9 / day. Also, the Federal Ministry of Planning in Iraq put another line is 3700 dinars / day, or 111 thousand Iraqi dinars per month. A person in Iraq, if he receives 3700 dinars per day consistently and continuously, is not poor, but he is on the poverty line.

The meeting also discussed the causes of poverty in Iraq, which they identified as a low level of education, wars and various crises, corruption of all kinds, a decrease in available resources and their depletion, a decline in the gross domestic product, poor distribution of wealth, unemployment of all kinds, various economic and social distortions, and the disappearance of production structures and capabilities in two sectors industry and agriculture, declining business and public investment environment.

And due to the Corona pandemic, the unemployment rate increased, and this correlation with the economic aspect led to high rates of domestic violence, which needs a different gender study, and if we want to solve the problem of domestic violence, which was often accompanied by the adoption of a protection law, we must first find solutions to address poverty.

Regarding the poverty reduction strategy approved by the Ministry of Planning in 2018, the meeting reached the necessity of reviewing those strategies that did not produce positive results, and there must be a real partnership with civil society for the purpose of direct action, especially since approving the strategy two years ago did not change the reality of the problem of poverty, but on the contrary There is an increase in this problem.

The meeting concluded the discussion with a set of recommendations for the use of the decision-maker in the process of reform and development .. It is mentioned that the Iraqi Women Journalists Forum is one of the founders of the alliance.

Below is the full discussion paper link

ارتفاع نسبة الفقر-محول (1)