National Development Plan 2013-2017.

The Iraqi National Development Plan is a multi-sectoral document aiming to create, from 2013 to 2017, a federal, decentralized, socially-integrated system that provides fair opportunities for development, in which the private sector and civil society are active partners and environmental sustainability represents an approach toward achieving a green economy. The general development proposed relates to different levels, namely the Plan aims at economic, social and environmental goals. More specifically it presents: (i) a population policy, (ii) a workforce policy, (iii) a financial policy, (iv) a monetary policy, and (v) an economic policy related to private sector. Main goals concerning the population are: (i) integrating population data in developmental plans and programs; (ii) making a progressive impact on the population growth rate; (iii) increasing the life expectancy rate at birth to more than 70 years in 2017; (iv) benefiting from the demographic dividend; and (v) organizing the population’s movement in development. The workforce policy, aiming at a productive and protected workforce, has the following goals: (i) decreasing the unemployment rate to %6 in 2017; (ii) increasing the participation rate in the economic activity to %50 in 2017; (iii) developing the activities of labor market institutions; (iv) increasing labor productivity; and (vi) creating a decent work environment. The financial policy, responsive to development needs, aims at four main achievements: (i) eliminating the budget deficit; (ii) limit imbalances in public expenditure; (iii) increase non-oil revenues and diversify their sources; and (iv) reform the financial administration towards a decentralization process. The monetary policy is the mean that contributes toward reaching sustainable economic stability and growth, through: (i) credit activities that stimulate development; (ii) keeping inflation rates within single digits; (iii) maintaining the stability of the local exchange rate; (iv) strengthening and reinforcing the foreign exchange reserve; (v) lowering the bank density; (vi) combating money laundering; and (vii) localizing information technology in the work mechanisms. Private sector in the Plan has to become an effective, competitive and competent partner with the purpose of increasing its contributions to the GDP.