The Cabinet holds the 45th regular session, decisions included

INA - BAGHDAD

The Cabinet held on Tuesday the 45th regular session chaired by PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani on Tuesday reviewing the recent developments in the country and discussing essential files related to the government program’s priorities. 

The Cabinet also reviewed the agenda items and made the necessary decisions, according to a statement by the PM Media Office - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

As part of the Cabinet’s oversight of preparations for conducting the national population census across Iraq on November 20, the Cabinet approved the following:

1. Emphasis on adhering to the Federal Court Decision No. 73/Federal/2010 regarding the national census.
2. The census in disputed areas will be conducted by a joint team representing the three ethnicities (Arab, Kurdish, and Turkmen). In areas with a Christian majority, a Christian representative will be added to the team.
3. The Federal Statistics Authority and Kurdistan Region Statistics Authority, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Interior, will compare the following records with the census results:
a. The Ministry of Interior’s records, the 1957 census, and subsequent updates.
b. Records from the Ministry of Trade and data from the Ministry of Migration and Displacement.
4. The census results and data cross-checked with the records mentioned in point (3) will be handled by the Federal Ministry of Planning and the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Planning. A special record will be organized for these areas, with both ministries retaining a copy of this record.
5. Statistical tables regarding the numbers of displaced and relocated individuals in disputed areas and other provinces will be organized based on official documents.
6. The Kurdistan Region Statistics Authority will be allowed to send a technical team to the main census operations room to observe and monitor the census operations continuously until completion.
7. The Kurdistan Region Statistics Authority will immediately begin intensive training courses for enumerators in preparation for the general census of population and housing on November 20, 2024.

The Cabinet approved a proposal to amend Article 12/Second/c of the Three-Year Budget Law No. 13 of 2023 as follows:
1. The Federal Ministry of Finance will compensate the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) from sovereign expenditures for the production and transportation costs of oil produced in the region and received by the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) or the Federal Ministry of Oil, based on subparagraphs (a) and (b). Production and transportation costs for each field will be estimated fairly by an internationally specialized consulting entity, as agreed upon by the Federal Ministry of Oil and the KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources, within 60 days of the law’s enactment. If no agreement is reached within this period, the Federal Council of Ministers will determine the consulting entity.
2. The consulting entity mentioned in the previous paragraph will submit estimated production and transportation costs to the Federal Ministries of Oil and Finance and the KRG. These will be adopted for the purposes of this law, with compensation calculated based on the estimated cost per barrel, multiplied by the number of barrels received as per subparagraphs (a) and (b). The Federal Ministry of Finance will be responsible for paying the compensation to the KRG.
3. Oil produced in the region must be immediately delivered to SOMO or the Federal Ministry of Oil, per subparagraphs (a) and (b). The Federal Ministry of Finance will compensate production and transportation costs in advance at a rate of $16 per barrel, to be settled retroactively after the completion of the aforementioned consulting entity’s review.

In line with the government’s commitment to strengthening civil defense, the Cabinet approved an allocation of 25 billion dinars to the Ministry of Interior to establish 100 civil defense units in Baghdad and other provinces as part of the second phase, funded from the emergency reserve in accordance with the Three-Year Budget Law. The Ministries of Interior and Planning will coordinate to provide the Ministry of Finance with detailed information on the additional required transfer amount.

The Cabinet also approved a direct contract with the Chinese company SANY to purchase 18 specialized firefighting vehicles, exempting this contract from standard government contracting instructions and Decision No. 68 of 2016, as amended.

Additionally, the Cabinet permitted Units within the Ministry of Interior with independent budgets to contract directly with the Police Martyrs Fund to procure uniforms and other supplies, exempt from the standard government contracting instructions.

In support of the educational sector, the Cabinet amended its Decision No. 24285 of 2024 to increase the acceptance quota for top graduates from technical institutes in universities from 10% to 20%, allowing institute graduates to continue their undergraduate studies in similar or related fields.

In the area of administrative reform and performance evaluation of officials in government institutions, the Cabinet approved the appointment of four directors-general in various ministries, based on performance evaluation criteria established by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet also approved the selection of Islam Hassan Al-Saadi as the sixth member of the Board of Trustees of the Iraqi Media Network and recommended that the Parliament vote on her appointment as per the Iraqi Media Network Law.

Continuing its focus on completing delayed projects and advancing infrastructure initiatives, the Cabinet approved the following:
1. Adding a component for “medical equipment and supplies” within the Emergency Hospital project in Rania, Sulaymaniyah, and increasing the total project cost.
2. Increasing the overall cost of the project to demolish 411 unauthorized buildings and replace them with 229 traditional-style and 182 concrete-style school buildings in Baghdad and other provinces.
3. Increasing the total cost of the construction project for the North Nasiriyah Bridge and its approaches (Phase I).
4. Increasing the total cost of preparing alternative sites, demolishing, and constructing the second phase of the development project for the Martyr Mohammed Baqir Al-Hakim Hospital in Baghdad.
5. Including the construction project for a 100-bed general hospital in Ali Al-Sharqi, Maysan Province (infrastructure), in the 2024 investment budget for the Ministry of Health.

The Cabinet also addressed other topics on its agenda, approving the following:
1. Approval of the bill for the Fifth Amendment to the Civil Aviation Law No. 148 of 1974 and its referral to the Parliament, in accordance with constitutional provisions. Alternatively, the withdrawal of the Civil Aviation Law bill issued by Cabinet Decision No. 24441 of 2024 and its amendments from the Parliament.
2. Adjustment of the price of diesel fuel supplied to vehicles and generators of the Iraqi National Paralympic Committee to 400 dinars per liter, down from 750 dinars.
3. Authorization for the Ministries of Trade and Industry and Minerals to enter into lease contracts with the Independent High Electoral Commission for the warehouses currently occupied by the Commission, in accordance with the Selling and Renting State Property Law.