Press Release

Iraq Advances One Health Agenda with the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Support: Ministries of Health and Agriculture to Sign Cooperation Framework

09 October 2025

Today, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health marked a major milestone with the signing of a Cooperation Framework to ensure complementarities between the Animal Health Law and the Public Health Law, strengthening coordination between the veterinary and public health sectors.

The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Baghdad, in the presence of Dr. Hani Moussa Badr Al-Aqabi Technical Deputy of the Ministry of Health, and Dr. Raed Kazem Al-Haddad, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture representing the Minister, alongside Dr. Thamer Habib Hamza, Director General of the Veterinary Department and the official signatory on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Riad Abdul Ameer Al-Hilfi, Director General of the Public Health Department and the official signatory on behalf of the Ministry of Health , and Dr. Salah El Hajj Hassan FAO Iraq representative and team.

This framework was developed with the support and partnership of FAO, in coordination with a joint committee of technical and legal experts from both ministries, to address challenges that have persisted for many years — most notably overlapping legislation, which had hindered the delivery of veterinary and health services.

FAO has provided technical and legal support throughout all stages of the preparation process, in close cooperation and coordination with both ministries. The Organization facilitated consultations and ensured that the framework is aligned with national priorities and international standards, thereby strengthening institutional coordination between the veterinary and public health sectors.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. Riad Abdul Ameer Al-Hilfi, highlighted the significance of this step, stating: “This framework represents an important achievement toward strengthening collaboration between the health and veterinary sectors, establishing clearer and more effective institutional coordination mechanisms contributing to the control of communicable diseases and the protection of health in Iraq.”

Dr. Thamer Habib Hamza, emphasized the value of this milestone, stating: “The signing of this framework strengthens the complementarity between the agricultural and health sectors and lays the foundation for a new phase of joint work based on clearly defined roles and responsibilities, ultimately enhancing the quality and efficiency of veterinary and public health services.”

Dr. Salah El Hajj Hassan, reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting the Government of Iraq, saying: “This milestone reflects the Government of Iraq’s leadership in embracing the One Health approach and stands as a model of effective collaboration between national sectors. He also extended his thanks to the Technical Deputies of the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, the Directors General of the Veterinary and Public Health Departments, and the national and international FAO teams for their follow-up and coordination efforts, which were instrumental in achieving the signing of this important framework.”

This initiative contributes to Iraq’s progress towards several Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). It reflects FAO’s long-term commitment to supporting Iraq in strengthening governance, fostering inter-ministerial collaboration, and advancing integrated approaches to sustainable development.

Khawla Ben Aicha

FAO

Communications Specialist

khawla.benaicha@fao.org

Salah Elhajjhassan

FAO

Representative

salah.elhajjhassan@fao.org

Mr Hajj Hassan, a national of Lebanon, holds a Ph.D. in Plant Production from the University of Agriculture, Damascus, Syria; a Master of Science degree in Plant Production and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering, both from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
He started his career in 1984, as Senior Research Assistant in the Agricultural Research and Education Centre (AREC), American University of Beirut. From 1987 to 1991, he was Coordinator of the Student Training Programme, and also Agriculture and Horticultural Teacher for the Faculty of Agriculture, at the Lebanese University.
From 1991 to 1995, he worked as Agricultural Engineer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Bekaa Regional Office, Zahlah and was then assigned to the Agricultural Research Institute in the Tal Amara station, first as Head of the Crop Production Department and subsequently in charge of the Plant Protection Laboratory. From 2002 to 2006, he was Director of the Kfardane Research Station (Agricultural Research Institute). In 2008, he became Visiting Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and Coordinator of a project with the International Centre for Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.
In 2010, he served as Advisor to the Minister for Agriculture of Lebanon. In 2011, he became President of the Pesticide Scientific Committee, Head of the Phytoplasma Committee and Director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (ARDP) (EU-funded project). From 2010 to 2013, he represented Lebanon in negotiations with EU, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. During his career, Mr Hajj Hassan also carried out a number of other functions. He represented the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) in several research programmes with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the American University of Beirut. He was Coordinator of the Mashreq/Maghreb project with ICARDA, representing Lebanon in the Steering Committee, as well as being the Head of the Sugar-beet Delivery and of the Wheat Delivery Committees. For a number of years, Mr Hajj Hassan worked for the preparation of FAO TCP projects and served as the National Director of a TCP project. He joined FAO in January 2014 as FAO Representative in Yemen. Mr Hajj Hassan succeeds Mr El Zubi as FAO Representative in Iraq.

UN entities involved in this initiative

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Goals we are supporting through this initiative