The Cabinet held its regular meeting on Thursday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister reviewed the general situation in the country, the global economic crisis that is affecting Iraq, and the measures taken by the government to mitigate itsimpact on the Iraqi local market.

The Cabinet received a detailed presentation on the needs of Nineveh following the visit of the Prime Minister to the province earlier this week and issued several directives in relation to several projects in the Nineveh.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the latest Covid-19 related health developments, the ongoing government efforts to deal with the pandemic, and the effort of the Ministry of Health to provide vaccines throughout Iraq.

The Cabinet then discussed several items on its agenda, and approved a range of measures including:

Approve the establishment of the pension fund system for teachers and workers in universities, colleges, and private institutes.

• Adopt the recommendation of the Ministerial Council for Energy to give the go ahead for the expansion of the Diwaniyah refinery instead of Kirkuk’s, provided that the Central Refineries Company (the project owner) provides the infrastructure and supporting unitsthat guarantee the success of the project’s implementation and bear all responsibilities for the integrity of the legal and financial procedures for the contract.

• Authorise the Ministry of Finance to pay a grant of one billion dinars to the Ministry of Culture – Department of Cinema and Theater for drama production and other artprojects.

• Authorise the Ministry of Water Resources to rehabilitate the site of the old HindiyaBarrage, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List for Irrigation.