BEIT project set to drive decent work and affordable housing in Iraq

Baghdad, Iraq (ILO News) – 27 November 2024 – The Ministry of Planning (MoP), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN-Habitat, and the International Trade Centre (ITC), hosted the first Steering Committee Meeting of the Building Equitable and Inclusive Transformation (BEIT) Towards Decent Work and Affordable Housing in Iraq project, funded by the European Union (EU).

The BEIT initiative promotes inclusive economic growth by creating decent work opportunities and improving access to affordable housing across Iraq. It aligns with Iraq’s national development strategies, addressing pressing challenges such as unemployment and housing shortages. During the meeting, stakeholders reviewed progress achieved during the inception phase and discussed plans for 2025 implementation.

During his speech, Dr. Mohamed Mohsen Al Sayed, the Director General of Local and Regional Development Directorate, at the Ministry of Planning, stated: “This project is one of the fruits of Iraq's cooperation with the European Union and the United Nations Agencies, aligning with Iraqi priorities in the housing sector, job creation, and private sector development. The initiative will establish a scalable housing model, which will be piloted in Anbar and Mosul, where 200 units are planned for construction. Additionally, the technical cooperation will focus on capacity-building interventions across various aspects and contribute to the development of a national housing policy, informed by the positive indicators emerging from the population and housing census that was recently implemented.” 

Lennart Derrider, Head of Cooperation for the EU Delegation to Iraq, highlighted the EU’s support, saying: “The project has taken concrete steps to uphold decent work standards and tackle child labour. It is laying the groundwork for the development of a National Housing Policy and is strengthening Iraq’s business eco-system in the construction sector.”

The country representatives of the three implementing UN agencies, Mr. Muslim Qazimi (UN-Habitat), Mr. Eric Buchot (ITC), and Dr. Maha Kattaa (ILO), gave an overview of progress to date, and presented the planned next steps for the Steering Committee’s approval. They jointly emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts, highlighting the commitment of UN-HABITAT, ITC and ILO to the project’s multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach in technical support and technical assistance, as well as the commitment to tackling Iraq’s housing shortage while creating meaningful employment opportunities through private sector engagement and the empowerment of SMEs.

They underscored the need for collaboration during the pilot phase in providing affordable green housing, enhancing trade performance and fostering job creation. It was anticipated that the Project Steering Committee would ensure strategic alignment to deliver affordable, impactful, sustainable eco-friendly solutions that integrate policy, trade facilitation, investment mobilization, and climate-resilient housing development with decent green jobs.  Project Managers from the three agencies then provided detailed updates on the project’s achievements so far.  

BEIT partners provided insights into progress made during the inception phase and outlined collaborative strategies planned for 2025. Key elements of progress in 2024 included:  

• commencement of the development of an updated national housing policy  
• commenced design of green affordable housing units  
• established a technical working group with international housing finance experts
• continued road map process for establishment of a national public works programme
• initiated labour governance reforms addressing child labour, inclusiveness, safe workplaces and dialogue among social partners 
• capacity building for partners
• completed two construction market surveys on supply and demand sides
• established collaborations and partnerships
• commenced development of sustainable construction curriculum.

The project emphasizes collaboration across multiple sectors to ensure equitable access to employment and housing, focusing on vulnerable communities to promote inclusivity.

Questions were then taken from Steering Committee members, focusing on issues around the initiative’s implementation strategies, ensuring equitable access, and addressing the specific needs of vulnerable communities. Attention was highlighted to supporting Iraq’s marginalized and vulnerable populations, ensuring that the initiative fosters sustainable solutions for equitable economic growth.

The meeting concluded with a commitment from all partners to advance BEIT’s objectives and ensure tangible outcomes for Iraq’s communities in 2025 and beyond. Through BEIT, Iraq is taking a significant step toward building a more inclusive and sustainable future for its people.