Rome, 27 November 2024 – The Iraq Business & Cooperation Forum organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in collaboration with Confindustria was held today at the Méridien Visconti in Rome.

The Forum facilitated partnerships and business collaborations among more than 115 Iraqi and Italian stakeholders participating from institutions, business associations and the private sector in the fields of agribusiness, energy and environment, infrastructure and construction, medicine and pharmaceuticals and beyond.

The plenary session opened with interventions by high-level representatives of distinguished stakeholders, including the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and other members of the Italian System including ICE/Italian Trade Agency, Sace and Simest, as well as from Iraq the Ministry of Industry and Minerals (MIM), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), the Iraqi Federation of Industries (IFI), the Iraqi Federation of Chambers of Commerce (IFCC), the National Investment Commission, the KRG Board of Investment (BoI), the Industrial Cities Corporation (ICC) and the UNIDO Enterprise Development Centers (EDCs), who brought their extensive expertise and knowledge, contributing significantly to strategic discussions towards the achievement of shared objectives.

Over 110 B2B and B2G meetings were held in the afternoon session of the Forum, which allowed direct interactions between the participating Italian companies and their Iraqi counterparts, to kick-start new international synergies and collaborations, in line with UNIDO’s mandate and the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

The Forum was organized within the framework of the project “Investment Promotion for Iraq – Phase II” funded by AICS and the project “Establishing Innovative Platform in Iraq” funded by MAECI, both implemented by UNIDO ITPO Italy.

“Transforming local challenges into economic opportunities has always been one of the objectives of our work” – said Diana Battaggia, Head of UNIDO ITPO Italy, at the end of the plenary session – “and this is even more true in a country with great potential that during its thousand-year history has already demonstrated its ability to enhance. Through these efforts,” Battaggia continued, “we hope to have helped foster a much-needed new narrative on Iraq, cultivating an environment conducive to investment and inclusive economic development, thus contributing to Iraq’s trajectory toward stability, resilience, and prosperity.”

Photos: Renato Franceschin; UNIDO ITPO Italy