Iraq submits first climate transparency report to UN
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq has submitted its first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) on climate change to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), fulfilling a key obligation under the Paris Agreement.
The report was prepared by the National Center for Climate Change in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with input from ministries and agencies, including representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Youssef Mueyyad Youssef, director of the National Center for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, described the report on Saturday as a crucial national document that will strengthen Iraq’s case for securing international financing to confront the impacts of climate change. He added that it outlines Iraq’s future plans for cooperation with the international community in addressing environmental challenges.
In June, Iraq was elected to the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage under the UNFCCC, with Youssef selected to serve during the SB62 climate talks in Bonn, Germany. The Mechanism, established in 2013, focuses on addressing the losses and damages caused by climate change to people and ecosystems.
Iraq is considered among the world’s five most climate-vulnerable countries, according to the UN. The World Bank warned in late 2022 that the country faces an “urgent climate challenge” requiring a greener development model, economic diversification, and reduced reliance on carbon. The Bank estimated Iraq would need $233 billion in climate-related investments by 2040—equivalent to about 6% of its annual GDP—to meet its most pressing development needs.
Based on a 2025 report from the Strategic Center for Human Rights, climate impacts are already severe, as Iraq has lost around 30% of its arable land in the past three decades.
