Iraq – Waste sector strategy to support NDC Action Plan and NAMA projects

This project responds to a request made by the Ministry of Environment of Iraq to reduce short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions including methane from the waste sector. There is significant mitigation potential in Iraq’s waste sector, particularly considering projected growth. The governorate of Baghdad alone produces between 8,000 and 10,000 tons of waste daily, of which 40% is organic waste.

What we're doing

This project will deliver an in-depth action plan for the waste sector, focusing on organic waste segregation and treatment, to support Iraq’s NDC Action Plan and for the selection of national mitigation actions in the waste sector for NAMA projects. This work should build on the data collection study on solid waste management in Iraq, developed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Iraqi Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and Public Works, the Mayoralty of Baghdad, Basra and Erbil, and the Regional Municipalities and Tourism of Kurdistan. This will also contribute to Iraq ‘s plan to prepare a zero-waste initiative by COP28.

At a minimum, this project will achieve the following by its completion:

• The Government of Iraq endorses the Waste Sector Strategy by the end of the project.
• The Government of Iraq includes SLCP mitigation in its Municipal Solid Waste Management Law by the end of the project (under drafting as of January 2023).
• The Government of Iraq includes SLCP reduction targets and/or mitigation measures related to the waste sector in its updated 2025 NDC.
• The Government of Iraq has increased capacity for SLCP action and implementation.