In Iraq, a multidimensional development and climate crisis is brewing. Iraq’s oil-dependent development model, weakening human and institutional capacity, and its deep social divides and inequalities are ingredients of a “perfect storm” centering on a development-climate-fragility nexus. A new World Bank Group diagnostic tool, the Country Climate and Development Report provides an analytical foundation to address Iraq's most pressing development needs and climate challenges simultaneously. The Iraq CCDR advocates for energy transition as a lever to tackle Iraq’s deep energy sector's inefficiencies and action to overcome the vulnerabilities of the water-agriculture-poverty nexus. Adopting a “people centric” approach to achieve a deeper understanding of current climate change effects and potential impact of low-carbon transition on vulnerable groups, the Iraq CCDR presents a set of prioritized and sequenced policy recommendations, which aim to accelerate Iraq's green, resilient, and inclusive development.
