Shafaq News / The Ministry of Planning in Iraq held a seminar on Wednesday to discuss the state of urban expansion and the labour market in the country.

Mohammed El-Sayed, Director General of Regional and Local Development at the ministry, mentioned during the seminar that urban sprawl is an important aspect of urban and rural development in Iraqi cities.

He explained that this expansion is occurring due to the concentration of services in the capital at the expense of other cities. He noted that the urban agenda emphasized the importance of organizing the relationship between urban and rural areas and their collaboration.

El-Sayed pointed out that the government is working on a new cities project. Five cities have been announced for investment to limit the phenomenon of urban sprawl.

Furthermore, policies to support agricultural products and crops contribute to maintaining the stability of the rural population compared to urban areas.

El-Sayed also referred to the Regional Development Program, which aims to distribute allocations between provinces and districts based on their population sizes and contribute to population stability.

He stressed the importance of promoting urban development policy and focusing on small and medium-sized cities in Iraq, which assist in managing major cities and reducing urban sprawl.

Meanwhile, Amjad Rabi, an adviser for social protection and social security at the International Labour Organization, highlighted the importance of public works programs in addition to stimulating labour-intensive sectors, accelerating the transition to organized work, and addressing deficiencies in decent work, including social security.

Rabi also emphasized the significant role of national investments and public savings funds, including social security, in increasing the supply of decent housing and planned urbanization.