Baghdad – IA
During its session held today, Tuesday, the Council of Ministers issued a number of decisions, including amending its decision regarding the voluntary deduction of (1%) from the salary, allowances, and retirement salary, to be for a period of 6 months only, starting from the date of December 1, 2024, and for those wishing only. By donating, to support the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
The Prime Minister’s Media Office said in a statement – received by the (INA): “Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani chaired, today, Tuesday, the forty-eighth regular session of the Council of Ministers, during which general developments in the country were discussed, and a number of important files were discussed.” And follow up on the progress of its implementation, in addition to deliberating on the topics on the agenda and taking the necessary decisions regarding them.”
According to the statement, Al-Sudani blessed “the completion of the general census of population and housing, as it is a national entitlement that was delayed for decades, and after 2003 witnessed delay and obstruction, and the government apparatus was able to implement it,” indicating that “the value of the census does not lie only in the statistical aspect and digital data. “It is an indicator of the stability of the country, its political system, and the awareness of its people.”
He explained, “Work on population characteristics will take place in the coming days, and an emphasis will be placed on the continuation of the census process for Iraqis abroad,” praising “the efforts of the Ministry of Planning in employing resources and capabilities, and absorbing challenges.”
He appreciated “the efforts of the Statistics Authority, the supporting ministries, the governorates, and all community activities, especially religious leaders and authorities, in their support and guidance in cooperation in completing the national census.”
The statement confirmed, “The Council of Ministers continued to discuss the topics included in its agenda, as the Council agreed to refer the integrated infrastructure project for New Sadr City to implementation, in its first phase.”
He continued, “With the aim of improving communications services provided to citizens, and creating a national operator for mobile phone networks, the Council of Ministers approved the selection of Vodafone International Telecommunications Company as the operator of the national mobile phone license project for fifth generation technology, and assigned the Ministry of Communications to proceed with the preparatory procedures for the project, based on readiness.” Which the company has expressed to work in Iraq, and relying on the support of the government and the ministry to make this project a success, which will be owned by the state, and aims to provide the best Services to citizens, maximizing revenues, keeping pace with technological development and employing young national energies after training them on the latest advanced technological techniques.”
He stressed, “The Council of Ministers approved amending its decision regarding the voluntary deduction of (1%) from the salary, allocations, and retirement salary, to be for a period of 6 months only, starting from the date of December 1, 2024, and only for those wishing to donate, in order to support the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples.” Pointing out that he “voted to amend his resolution (24809 of 2024) to provide the Lebanese Republic with (320) thousand tons of Wheat instead of flour.
He stressed, “As part of the Council’s follow-up to the management of airports, air navigation and air transport services, the following was approved:
1- Separating the Iraqi airports administration from the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management, and linking it to the Ministry of Transport, and making it at the level of a department below a general directorate, based on the provisions of the Law on the Creation of Administrative Formations (12 of 2011).
2- Amending the name of the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management to (The General Company for Air Navigation Services), and deleting the airport management activity from it. The company will take the necessary measures to amend its bylaws and founding statement accordingly.
3- The properties belonging to the Ministry of Finance, occupied by the airports associated with the aforementioned company, shall be transferred to the Ministry of Transport, and those properties, if they belong to other government agencies, shall be allocated to the aforementioned Ministry, with the requirements transported for the operation of the aforementioned airports being transferred to the Ministry of Transport, provided that a joint committee is formed from The Ministries of Transport and Finance, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the aforementioned company, to implement this within (30) days of the issuance of the decision.
4- The services of workers at those airports will be transferred to the aforementioned ministry, while they will retain the allocations granted to them, in accordance with the provisions of the State Employees’ Salaries Law No. 22 of 2008.
5- The Ministry of Transport replaces the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management in implementing all technical, legal and financial obligations resulting from previous contracts related to airports, by concluding an attached contract or agreement with the contracting company.
The statement stated, “As part of the government’s work to achieve financial reform, the Council of Ministers agreed that government banks that have non-mobile bank accounts and zero bank accounts should do the following:
1- Closing the bank accounts on which Resolution No. (23581 of 2023) Paragraph (Second – 1) had previously been implemented by withdrawing their balances and becoming zero, amounting to (529) bank accounts, based on the approved schedules and statements.
2- Closing bank accounts with zero balances, which numbered (313) bank accounts with central financing, and (773) bank accounts with self-financing.
He pointed out, “As part of the government’s efforts to raise the level of capabilities of our armed forces, the Council of Ministers approved the allocation of an amount of (5) billion dinars, from the emergency reserve, to the Counter-Terrorism Service to proceed with the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Service Academy, based on the provisions of the Tripartite Federal General Budget Law.” (13 of 2023).”
In the field of supporting the industrial sectors and the private sector, the statement confirmed, “The Council of Ministers approved the mechanisms for lending to industrial projects and the controls that determine the amounts of reservation and redemption of the guarantees provided for these loans, according to the letter of the Prime Minister’s Office dated (November 4, 2024), which includes a statement of the general conditions, The required guarantees, retirement rates, project financing mechanisms, and the parties’ obligations. It was also approved to amend the percentage fixed in the Companies Law (21 of 1997), which is the percentage of companies’ commitment from their registered capital to be (500%), instead of (300%), provided that the committee charged with preparing lending mechanisms will review the controls in question after 6 months from the date of issuance of this decision.”
The statement explained, “As part of the Council of Ministers’ follow-up on the issue of completing delayed projects and proceeding with infrastructure projects, the Council approved the following:
1- Allocating an amount of (1.535542) trillion dinars within the budget of the National Investment Commission, when preparing proposals for investment budget allocations for the years (2025 and 2026), for the amounts of the Bismayah city project.
2- Increasing the total cost and reserve amount for the (Ramadi Teaching Hospital) project.
3- Deleting the component of establishing the College of Education for Girls, creating three functionally separate building components, and increasing the total cost of the project to establish the College of Education for Girls.
4- Increasing the reserve amount and total costs for (9) service projects in Diyala Governorate.
He stated, “In the field of supporting the work and projects of service and engineering efforts, the Council of Ministers approved the exception of works carried out in a direct implementation manner by the team, formed pursuant to Council of Ministers Resolution (286 of 2022) from the provisions of the first paragraph of Council of Ministers Resolution (23713 of 2023). related to the implementation of projects, and the inclusion of the work carried out in this manner, within the budget (special programmes), in the 2025 budget tables of the Office of the Prime Minister, based on the law Federal General Budget (13 of 2023).”
The statement pointed out that “the session witnessed the approval of amending Cabinet Resolution (23718 of 2023) to include implementation of the text of the original resolution, which granted the authority to the minister responsible for implementation as an exception to the instructions for implementing government contracts, and the instructions for facilitating the implementation of the budget, in the event that the companies implementing the main projects refuse to implement the project.” Resolving conflicts, provided that work is carried out in accordance with the authorities in the controls and provisions for implementing and following up on projects in Investment Budget No. (1 of 2023 amended), if the projects have It has been included in the investment budget, and a specific amount is determined for contracts to eliminate conflicts, not to exceed (25%) or (50%) of the contract value, and anything more than that is done through announcement.”
He stated, “The Council of Ministers approved the ownership of the plot of land numbered (597/1/Al-Qasim) by the Ministry of Construction, Housing andMunicipalities, to the private secretariat of the shrine of Al-Qasim bin Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (peace be upon them) in Babil Governorate, based on Legislative Resolution (693 of 1973).” And the provisions of the Law on Ownership of Princely Lands Located within the Municipal Boundaries No. (80 of 1970), without compensation.”
The statement added, “The Council of Ministers discussed other topics on its agenda, and agreed to the following:
First: Amending Cabinet Resolution No. (24479 of 2024), regarding the working paper submitted by the Geologists’ Syndicate, including the Ministry of Finance’s allocation of an annual grant of (150) million dinars to the Union of Arab Geologists to pay the wages of the employees and activities of the Office of the General Secretariat of the Union of Arab Geologists in Baghdad. .
Second: Amending Cabinet Resolution No. (23377 of 2023), which includes amending the phrase shown at the end of Cabinet Resolution (371 of 2021) regarding the number of employees in the General Authority for Monitoring the Allocation of Federal Imports, which used to limit them to only (80) employees from Employees covered by the amended State and Public Sector Employees’ Salaries Law No. (22 of 2008).
Third/
-Implementation of the Ministry of Commerce/General Company for Central Markets Council Resolution (92 of 2021).
-The Ministry of Finance allocates a plot of land to the Ministry of Health, in accordance with the Law on Ownership of Courts and Princely Buildings (3 of 1960), for the purpose of developing Al-Hindiya General Hospital.
How do public-private partnerships enhance project execution efficiency in Al-Qasim?
Aikh of Al-Qasim. This decision is part of a broader strategy to facilitate infrastructure development and improve service delivery to citizens in the region.
Furthermore, the Council also recognized the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in driving economic growth and enhancing project execution efficiency. To this end, the Council will actively promote and support PPP initiatives, ensuring that such collaborations align with national development goals.
In addition, the Council of Ministers has emphasized its commitment to transparency and accountability in all projects, ensuring that all initiatives are subject to regular audits and assessments. This approach is intended to build public trust and ensure that resources are utilized effectively.
The outcomes of this meeting illustrate the government’s determination to expand and enhance infrastructure, support economic development, and respond to the needs of the populace while also supporting international cooperation and humanitarian efforts related to the regional challenges faced by neighboring countries.