Devastated by a war with ISIS that ruined its cities and left millions homeless, Iraq does not have the capacity to rebuild without major support from the international community, the country's culture minister Fariyaad Rawandizi told The National on Monday.
A Unesco conference held on Monday in Paris, which focused on reconstructing the northern city of Mosul, was attended by dozens of potential donors.
Numerous Iraqi cities were reduced to rubble in the three-year occupation by ISIS and the ensuing battles to wrestle them back.
"This conference aims to implement the initiative of rebuilding Mosul; this is very important because we cannot do this by ourselves, we don't have the capacity," Mr Rawandizi told The National.
The size of the destruction in Mosul and especially in archaeological sites was huge, he said.
“It needs national and international co-operation between Iraq and Unesco and other organisations to rebuild archaeological sites,” the minister said.
More than 40,000 houses have been destroyed and around 700,000 people have been displaced, according to UN estimates, in addition to the damage to religious, governmental and medical buildings, museums and libraries that need restoration.
“We are in need of financial international support,” Mr Rawandouzi said, adding he expects that Mosul will need $2 billion (Dh7.35bn) in reconstruction aid to unblock streets and rebuild homes.
Mosul has a unique role to play in the rebuilding of Iraq, he said.
“The city is a living symbol for the identity of Iraqis; the city is very rich in heritage and was not only known as a centre of trade but as a heartland for the culture and civilisation, not only in the Middle East but also in the world."
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Read more:
WATCH: The liberation of Mosul one year on
UAE rebuilding of Mosul mosque 'defeats extremism'
How eliminating the ‘kill box’ turned Mosul into a meat-grinder
Mosul’s health care in ruins a year after the battle
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Iraqi forces fought for nearly nine months to seize Mosul from ISIS, backed by United States-led coalition air strikes that flattened the historic city.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi declared "victory" against the insurgents across the country in December. But the minister warned that remnants of the group still remained.
“Iraq is still fighting pockets of ISIS around Mosul and in southern Kirkuk and in Anbar, but ISIS has been defeated and cannot come back again,” Mr Rawandizi said.
It was from the Grand Al Nuri Mosque that ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi in July 2014 declared a self-styled “caliphate”, spanning parts of Syria and Iraq the insurgents controlled.
Unesco’s biggest project, funded with $50.4 million from the UAE, is restoring the 12th century mosque and its leaning minaret, which were both blown up by the insurgents last year.
UAE Minister of Culture Noura Al Kaabi told The National that Abu Dhabi will head two committees alongside Iraq's Culture Ministry and the Iraqi Sunni Endowment to help to support the project.
"They are a technical committee and a higher committee that includes the Sunni endowment and ministry officials," Ms Al Kaabi told The National.
The first meeting will be in Abu Dhabi on Thursday where high-level discussions about the reconstruction efforts will take place.
The Emirati minister emphasised the importance that Iraqi youths will have in the project, ensuring they become a key fixture in the five-year reconstruction of their city.
“We want to focus on how we can offer 1,000 job opportunities to men and women,” she said. “We have a lot of graduates from Mosul and Baghdad University.”
Ms Al Kaabi said the committees are crucial as they will bring all parties involved in the reconstruction efforts together.
“The most important thing is that in 2023 we are going to enjoy a beautiful tour of the Grand Nouri mosque,” she said.
Mr Rawandizii expressed his gratitude to the UAE for standing alongside Iraq to protect its culture.
“The mosque is one of the most important archaeological sites in Mosul because it’s the identity of city,” he said.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Under-21 European Championship Final
Germany 1 Spain 0
Weiser (40')
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
RESULTS
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Company%20profile
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The%20specs
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Company%20profile
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