Iraq has been facing considerable challenges of securing sustainable economic and social development under the UN sanctions, which started in 1990. The UN Oil-for-Food programme brought some benefits to the Iraqi people. However, four years into the implementation of the programme, the vast majority of the Iraqi population are still facing chronic socio-economic problems.

While the nutritional situation has improved over the past four years, the health conditions throughout the country are still precarious according to WHO. To secure basic living conditions, the majority of the skilled and professional labour force turned to work in the informal sector. Although official data are not available, the unemployment rate is estimated at 50-60 percent according to the report of the ILO mission to Iraq (28 April-5 May 2000).

The 1999 UNDP Human Development Report ranked Iraq at 125 out of 174 countries on the human development index as compared to a rank 91 out of 160 in 1991, reflecting deteriorated social and economic conditions since 1991. According to recent estimates, the population in Iraq is 22 million and its rate of growth is 2.86 percent in 2000.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) is attaching considerable importance to alleviation of poverty under the prevailing conditions. ILO has been implementing UNDP-funded project on community-based rehabilitation since 1995 and has just launched a technical assistance programme to develop capacities for competence-based modular curriculum design and delivery. The Minister is H.E. Mr. Saadi Tuama Abbas Al-Jabouri.

Employers are represented by the Iraqi Federation of Industries (IFI). The Federation’s main concern is to develop its capacities to provide the necessary service to its members under the prevailing economic and social conditions.

Workers are represented by the Iraqi General Federation of Trade Unions (IGFTU). The Federation was established in 1987. There are local union committees affiliated with individual trade unions, which in turn belong to IGFTU. IGFTU is affiliated with the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions. In 2000, ILO organized a national workshop for trade unions to discuss their needs and the future cooperation with ILO.

An ILO multi-disciplinary mission to Iraq was fielded for 28 April - 5 May 2000 to review the technical assistance needs, in a comprehensive manner, in consultation with the tripartite partners. As an outcome of this mission, the technical cooperation programme was developed covering a number of areas of ILO’s competence.

ILO is currently implementing a UNDP-funded project on "Community-based Rehabilitation" (total budget $988,716, operational since 1995). The project is designed to strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Labour for socio-economic re-integration and promotion of the income generation activities of the disabled persons. The overall strategy of the project is to provide disabled people with employable skills and their income generation activities. In view of the project’s positive impact on welfare of disabled persons, the project has been extended until the end of 2001;

Within the framework of joint programme of ILO and the Regional Arab Programme for Labour Administration, diagnosis of the labour administration system in Iraq was launched during September 2000;

A training workshop on community development was organized by ILO for the Social Welfare Offices, Labour and Social Security Office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (May 2001).

ILO has just launched a technical assistance programme for the establishment of a national capacity for competence-based modular curriculum design and delivery, under the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The programme designed to enhance the skills of vocational trainers.

In close collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, a profile on occupational safety and health was developed by the ILO. Iraq participated in workshops organized by the ILO and Turin Centre on "Comparative Analysis of International and National Standards on Occupational Safety and Health" (Beirut, April 2001) and in the Turin course on "Public Sector Reform and Development in Arab States" (Turin, March-April 2001).

Iraq participated in the inter-regional meeting on "The Promotion of Tripartism and Social Dialogue" (Beirut, October 2000); and in the Turin Centre training courses on the promotion of women workers’ rights (November 2000) and on trade union training for collective bargaining (September 2000).

Iraq ratified a total of 66 ILO Conventions including the following six core Conventions:

• Convention No. 29: Forced Labour, 1930
• Convention No. 98: Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining, 1949
• Convention No. 100: Equal Remuneration, 1951
• Convention No. 105: Abolition of Forced Labour, 1957
• Convention No. 111: Discrimination ( Employment and Occupation), 1958
• Convention No. 138: Minimum Age, 1973
• Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999

During the period under review, the ILO played an active role in promoting the Declaration. A recent positive development was the ratification of Convention No. 182: Worst Forms of Child Labour and Convention No. 172 Working conditions (Hotels & Restaurants) Convention, 1991 (both ratified in July 2001).

 Updated by CHW. Approved by RD. Last update: 3 August 2001.