policy
Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi chaired today, Wednesday, the first regular session of the Council of Heads of Independent Bodies and entities not affiliated with ministries for the year 2026. During the session, the council voted on a series of decisions and recommendations focusing on enhancing integrity, combating corruption, and improving the performance of government institutions. The council discussed several files related to the work of independent bodies, emphasizing ways to overcome obstacles they face, in addition to reviewing agenda items and making necessary decisions and recommendations. Regarding integrity and anti-corruption, the council approved the implementation of Cabinet Resolution No. (341 of 2026), which includes recommendations based on the evaluation results of the performance of ministries, non-ministerial entities, and provinces in combating and preventing corruption. Decisions also included enhancing the development of legal staff performance, ensuring adherence to the code of conduct issued by the Integrity Commission, and obligating those responsible for submitting financial disclosure statements within independent bodies to do so within legally stipulated deadlines. The decisions encompassed adopting the automation of real estate ownership data within a unified system in real estate registration departments, as well as incorporating provisions related to resolving embezzlement cases and recovering wanted individuals in investment and economic agreements with countries where Iraqi funds are subject to the Iraq Fund for Asset Recovery law. The council also recommended amending several previously signed international agreements to align with current requirements, notably the Riyadh Agreement for Judicial and Legal Cooperation, the Turkish Agreement for Judicial Cooperation, and the bilateral treaty with Turkey on extradition of criminals. Contracts requested by the Federal Integrity Commission for exemption from Public Contracts Implementation Instructions No. (1 of 2025) were referred to the Ministerial Economic Council for consideration. Concerning the Sunni Endowment Office, the council voted to coordinate with the Federal Public Service Council to identify needed specializations and to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to include provisions in the federal budget draft law for the stabilization of lecturers and security staff. The council also decided to coordinate with the Ministries of Finance, Education, and Planning to exempt construction works of the Imam Al-Azam College in Baghdad and provinces from contracting methods stipulated in public contracts instructions, and to allocate necessary funds for rebuilding and restoring mosques and places of worship damaged by terrorist attacks. Regarding the Higher Commission for Hajj and Umrah, the council approved coordination with the Federal Financial Supervision Bureau to complete contract audit requirements, coordination with the Ministry of Transport, and expressed the Ministerial Energy Council’s opinion on a request for exemption related to reducing pilgrims' and umrah performers' ticket prices, while considering measures to reduce and rationalize expenses related to external delegations. In the field of competition and anti-monopoly, the council voted to include the Competition and Anti-Monopoly Council in some government committees responsible for preparing economic policies affecting competition, enabling it to express opinions, and to prepare a matrix in coordination with relevant bodies to define roles and prevent overlapping decisions and regulatory and supervisory authorities in the market. The council also mandated government entities to respond to its requests for complaint resolution within specified timeframes and to facilitate procedures for establishing branches in southern and northern provinces, similar to the Middle Euphrates branch. In other decisions, the council voted for the Martyrs Foundation to coordinate with the National Center for Digital Transformation to automate its operations, stressing the necessity for government entities to apply the Arabic Language Safety Law No. (64 of 1977) and to consult the Iraqi Scientific Academy when needed.
