Table of content

Institutional Structure for CBD and core competencies

For each institutional level the relevant sectors of interest are mentioned, together with the specific tasks performed by that institution.

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  Ministry of Education: Education. Tasks: organize lectures for students in schools, organize exhibitions, promulgate laws on the school structure, and cooperate with UNESCO as local focal point for Iraq.
  
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  Ministry of Science and Technology: Health, Industry, Rural development. Tasks: conduct research and implement scientific projects proposed by other ministries, and conduct applied research.
  
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  Ministry of Water Resources: Water management, Health, Rural development. Tasks: control of water quality, water quantity, water allocations and water engineering projects.
  
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  Ministry of Finance: Finance. Tasks: manage the national budget on a yearly basis - working budget (salaries) and investment budget (given to the Ministry of Planning that distributes funds to the other ministries for projects and activities).
  
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  Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research: Education, Agriculture, Rural development, Forestry, and Fishery. Tasks: academic research and projects carried on at the university level.
  
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  State Ministry of Tourism and Archaeology: Tourism, Education, and Rural development. Tasks: develop tourism; investigate and manage archaeological and holy sites.
  
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  Ministry of Agriculture: Agriculture, Fishery, Rural development, Forestry, and Trade. Tasks: sanitary control of cattle, livestock and breeding operations, veterinary controls, (with inspectors from other ministries like MOE and Ministry of Health), control of aquaculture operations, control of wild animals, forest management, promulgate relevant legislation, and issuance of hunting permits.
  
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  Ministry of Planning: Agriculture, Education, Health, Rural development, Forestry, Fishery, Trade, Industry, Tourism, and Finance. Tasks: develop national strategies based on the projects and activities defined by all the other ministries and set priorities.
  
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  Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Agriculture, Education, Health, Rural development, Forestry, Fishery, Trade, Industry, Tourism, and Finance. Tasks: organization of all international activities and relations.
  
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  Ministry of Environment: Environment, Agriculture, Fishery, Trade, Forestry, and Rural development. Tasks: implementation of measures for compliance with all international conventions on the environment, other tasks broadly overlapping with those of the Ministry of Agriculture.
  
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  Ministry of Oil: Industry and Health. Tasks: paying for restoration projects, control on the extraction and production activities.
  
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  Ministry of Trade: Trade and Industry. Tasks: control of products in national and international trade, quality control of traded products and control of prices.
  
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  Ministry of Interior: Security and Border control. Tasks: maintain police corps to enforce the laws of other ministries, environmental police department, control of import and export at customs.
  
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  State Ministry of Marshes: Environment, Rural development and Water management. Tasks: Funds and provide logistical support for project in the marshland areas. Cooperates with Iraqi Ministries, NGOs and international agencies regarding activities in the marshlands.
  
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  Governorates: All sectors. Tasks: implement the national laws
  
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  Provinces: All sectors. Tasks: implement the national laws
  
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  Municipalities: All sectors. Tasks: implement the national laws
  
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  Tribal councils: All sectors. Tasks: solve local problems through agreements.
  

2. Cross-sectoral legislative needs to achieve main policy goals

To achieve the three main policy goals concerning protected areas, there needs to be: Creation of a national law for protected areas; development of a national management plan for protected areas; and establishment of a national network of protected areas. The legislative framework to build these activities will rest on the first goal: a national protected areas law issued possibly by the MOE. The law will give the baseline of norms and principles for protection. Proceeding from the general principles contained in the law, a series of national decrees, issued in consultation with the other competent ministries, will regulate the structure and functioning of the management plans and networking initiatives.

A the national law for forest management and protection, a national law for regulating hunting and the collection and trade in wild fauna and flora, already exist (viz. Law n°30/2009 on Forestry and Nurseries and Law on Wildlife Protection approved but not yet published). The implementation of these laws and the substantial provisions they contain will require close cooperation between the MOE and MOA in order to address the extensive environmental threats these sectors are facing.

For example, forest management is strictly linked to productive land use and rural development. The National Law on Forestry should, as much as possible, delegate the drafting of forest management plans to local authorities with an emphasis on traditional and sustainable forest management. It should also provide for forest protected areas, the management of which would be the responsibility of MOA in conjunction with the MOE.

As for the law on wildlife protection, the implementation of wild fauna and flora management plans should again be delegated to the local authorities with an emphasis on conservation of species, and MOA and other ministries, as appropriate, provide support and guidance.

For pollution, proceeding from the existing laws (viz. System of Rivers and Other Water Resources Protection from Pollution Law 25/1967; Ionizing Radiation Law 99/1999; Public Health Law 89/1981; Investment Law for Oil Refinery of 2007) a National Committee needs to be established, comprising all relevant stakeholders, with the tasks of: reviewing the existing legislation on pollutants in various sectors; integrating and drafting new legislation; strengthen the implementation, control, and enforcement of these provisions through appropriate training of the environmental police corps.

In terms of invasive alien species, this issue has to be dealt transversally and is relevant to all ministries and sectors involved with trade, protection, and use of nature resources. The main ministries involved are the MOE, MOA, Ministry of Trade, but also Ministry of Health, MOWR, State Ministry of Marshes, and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. A significant first step would be for major legislation of each of the above ministries to be amended to contain a provision for prohibiting the introduction into the wild, and in some cases even the import, of a list of species considered invasive or dangerous to Iraq. The drafting of such a list could be delegated to the National Biodiversity Committee, with adequate advice from national and international experts.

The establishment or reorganization of environmental and agricultural departments in local governorates to communicate with local communities to manage the sustainable use of natural resources for a community's livelihood will involve the issuance of a national law outlining the structure of the government and the powers given to the various ministries, to the governorates, and to other local authorities.

Capacity building and training initiatives as well as the promotion of activities that would generate revenues from sustainable natural resource uses will mainly involve the MOE and MOA (i.e. forestry law, law on protected areas, national laws for regulating the hunting activity and the collection and trade of wild fauna and flora).