The unity and determination that young Iraqis showed in the 2019 demonstrations, will be crucial as they try to rebuild Iraq after the pandemic and decades of conflict, says Pooja Kapahi.
When young people took to the streets in Iraq, in October 2019, their demands were simple. For five straight days, they poured onto the streets of Baghdad and other major cities demanding an end to chronic unemployment, corruption and poor public services, including access to water and electricity. If young Iraqis are to realise these dreams, despite the massive disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they are going to need to remember this unity.
These demonstrations, that set of a wave of similar protests across the region, exposed the fragility of the Iraqi socio-economic system. Iraq is a young country – some 60% of its population is under 25 years old so student sit-ins and strikes at government offices brought the country to a standstill. Alaa Wissam, a 25-year-old architect, who joined the protests told a reporter that “this will help young people to have a role in the change that is happening.”
We decided to cut the roads as a message to the government that we will keep protesting until the corrupt people and thieves are kicked out and the regime falls.”
Tahseen Nasser, a 25-year-old protester, (Source)
Since October, the movement has swept Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi from office and, following his resignation in December 2019, led to reforms in electoral law. These reforms are aimed at broadening participation in elections by doing away with party lists, and moving towards a system of proportional representation that benefits independent candidates and creates closer ties to constituents. These were great successes but the road ahead for these young Iraqis is a long one.
The Road to recovery
Iraq, which was once home to the wealthiest and the longest running Ottoman Empire, has been battling with continuous instability and conflict since the election of Saddam Hussain. A population of more than 37 million have been in despair, suffering first the Iran-Iraq war in 1980 and then the US and UK invasion in 2003. As a result an estimated 6.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Iraq is one of the world’s most volatile countries with more than 1.5 million people internally displaced. Iraq has witnessed internal conflict, external intervention, ethnic and religious persecution, ISIS’ terrorism, floods and earthquakes.
Critical infrastructure, houses, schools, health facilities, and police stations have been damaged or destroyed by this series of conflicts. There is no way of quantifying the trauma and loss of human life, the violence endured by men, women and children in these years, but the Iraqi government assessed that it would require more than $88 billion to recover and rebuild the economy and infrastructure.
Iraq was already struggling its own battles to rebuild, when coronavirus hit the region and dealt a major blow to the already broken health system. In a country where the majority of the population are displaced and living under tents COVID-19 has worsened conditions.
Now is the time.
In 2019 Iraq saw 462,000 people returning; surpassing the number of people leaving for the third year in a row.
This data suggests Iraqis now feel ready and able to come back and rebuild their country, their homes and their lives. The World Bank Group (WGB) has been supporting the MENA region by working with governments, through various integrated investments, improving access to basic services and building economic opportunities for men and women. Among other initiatives, they have invested $18 million into the dairy industry and a $65million loan to cement company Lafarge to boost the local construction industry. Boosting the labour intensive industries which will in turn help in the demand for local labour.
But rebuilding requires more than money; it requires building community trust, social strength, stability and harmony. Many young Iraqis may had never experienced this sort of cohesion until they took to the streets in mass protests to denounce rampant corruption, poor services, and high unemployment. It is not over yet, but the dysfunction of Iraq may just have united young people across classes and clans. This unity will serve them well as they set about to build a new country.
