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Workshop on opportunities for infrastructure financing in Iraq

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OECD, Iraq and international partners assess opportunities for infrastructure financing in Iraq

Baghdad, 21 November 2009

Co-organised by the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform (IIER) and the MENA-OECD Iraq project, the purpose of this workshop was to examine financing mechanisms for infrastructure development and assess their applicability to Iraq.

Key themes of the conference included:

  • current infrastructure development profile in Iraq and trends over the past five years
  • trends and challenges in infrastructure financing
  • extra-budgetary sources of infrastructure finance involving international financial institutions and private firms and their applicability to Iraq
  • means of prioritising and co-ordinating these mechanisms in order to move forward with a national infrastructure development programme

The conference featured testimony drawn from the Iraqi experience, including from the Iraqi National Investment Commission (NIC) and Iraq-based businesses.  Eighty-five people took part in the meeting, including representatives of the Government of Iraq, the private sector, international banks and financial institutions, the Office of Private Sector Development of the US Embassy, the Economic Department of the US Embassy, and investment promotion and research organisations.

Participants decided to create a Working Group charged with co-ordinating the evaluation and planning process for infrastructure development in Iraq, and making recommendations on priority infrastructure needs and appropriate financing mechanisms. It was recommended that the MENA-OECD Investment Programme provide technical expertise and organisational support to this Working Group.

 

 Meeting documentation