The new Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq to UN-HABITAT, H.E. Dr. Adel Mustafa Kamil Al-Kurdi, has appealed to the organization to help restore the marshlands in the country. Dr. Al-Kurdi made the appeal today while presenting his credentials to the Executive Director, Mr. Joan Clos.
The Iraqi marshlands constitute the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East, but they were considerably damaged as a result of conflict and poor conservation.
The envoy stated that Iraq is a rich country, but because of the war the country has not been able to achieve its full potential.
Noting that the occasion was “a good opportunity to strengthen the relationship between UN-HABITAT and Iraqi,” Dr. Al-Kurdi invited the Executive Director to visit Iraq to see for himself the situation in the country and how UN-HABITAT can help.
Mr. Clos accepted the invitation and said that the UN-HABITAT has several projects in Iraq to make the management of public affairs in the country more effective.
UN-HABITAT has more that 13 years experience working in Iraq. The UN-HABITAT Iraq Programme relies on non-earmarked resources to implement its programmes and projects. By 2003, the total cost of the programme stood at more than USD 100 million, distributed among 30 projects and programmes, mostly funded through the United Nations Development Group, and to a lesser extent through bilateral channels.
