On June 28, 2021, IRIS hosted two closed roundtables discussions in Baghdad on the content of the first and second editions of the Iraq Economic Review (IER) with various stakeholders to share the knowledge and guide the future editions of the Review. The first session was dedicated to state officials from several executive, legislative and financial institutions, such as the Central Bank of Iraq, the Parliament, and the Council of Ministers, while the second one was dedicated to a wide-range group of civil society activists, researchers, young political leaders, and university lecturers. The two roundtables revealed that while there is a keen interest in discussing economic challenges, there is little in common among the various stakeholders. They rarely agree on what constitutes sound and feasible economic policies, and they do not have a similar comprehension level of economics and sustainable development objectives. IRIS has also noted that while the debate on politics and security is sensitive and controversial, economic topics continue to be open for discussion, and they provide greater space for youth and women to engage in dialogue. As such, IRIS intends to build on these findings and interest to equip these actors with analysis on pressing economic challenges in the subsequent editions of the IER and create spaces for dialogue among more stakeholders through hosting similar events in the future.
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