Abadi urges international support for '$100 billion reconstruction project' in Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday called for foreign help in reconstructing the country after the defeat of the Islamic State (IS), stating Iraq would need at least $100 billion to rebuild war-torn cities.

The Iraqi Prime Minister’s call for financial assistance—during a press conference at the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland—comes ahead of a donor conference in Kuwait next month.

The meeting is expected to be held from Feb. 12 to Feb. 14 where donor countries and organizations will announce financial contributions.

Following Abadi’s “final victory” declaration in December to mark the end of IS in the country, efforts are now focused on rebuilding areas devastated by the war.

Iraqi officials say that rebuilding the areas destroyed due to war needs support from the international community and billions of dollars. Still, Abadi thinks the donations “cannot provide” enough financial aid.

Reconstruction will cost “a huge amount of money,” he told the WEF in Davos. “We know we cannot provide it through our own budget. We know we cannot provide for it through donations, that’s impossible.”

The country’s officials estimate that the reconstruction of Mosul alone, liberated in July 2017, could take at least five years and require billions of dollars.

In December, Iraq’s Planning Minister Salman Jumaili signed two agreements with the European Union (EU) to begin reconstruction of areas liberated from IS.

The United States, Australia, and Saudi Arabia have also pledged financial support for rebuilding projects in Iraq.