At the UN General Assembly, Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi presented a vision centered on state control of security, anti-corruption reform, energy expansion, trade corridors and shared water management to attract investment and shift partnerships from military to economic cooperation.
The government is prioritizing state control over war and peace decisions, anti-corruption measures, and institutional reform to create a stable investment environment.
Iraq seeks to become a global energy hub by diversifying export routes, building regional energy corridors and developing the Grand Faw Port-linked Development Road.
Water scarcity, desertification and threats to maritime transport were named as immediate risks that require regional cooperation on shared water management and secure trade routes.
# Overview
Speaking in the UN General Assembly's high-level segment, Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi offered a compact policy pitch aimed at attracting foreign investment and repositioning Iraq in the region. He tied domestic institutional reform to a larger regional agenda: secure borders, diversified energy exports, integrated transport corridors and shared natural-resource management.
# What the government is promising
Al-Zaidi framed the state's role in clear terms: decision-making on war and peace must rest with constitutional institutions, and weapons and coercive instruments should remain under state control. He said the executive measures underway are intended to build a "State of institutions," protect sovereignty and consolidate stability—conditions the government says are necessary for investment and development.
He announced an anti-corruption thrust and "sustainable, substantive reforms" aimed at improving public-sector performance and protecting public funds. These reforms are presented as the groundwork for attracting both domestic and foreign capital.
# Economic pitch and energy goals
Iraq is positioning itself as an energy and trade hub. Al-Zaidi described an ambition for Iraq to become a global hub for energy production and to use those capabilities to strengthen regional and international security and stability.
From the podium he invited outside investors: "invest with Iraq, for it has the resources, the market, the location and the will to build a new economy."
# Security and regional cooperation
With the international coalition mission in Iraq declared over, Al-Zaidi said the country will move relationships with strategic partners into a new phase focused on economic and development cooperation. He urged vigilance to secure borders and close gaps that could create environments conducive to extremism.
# Environmental and resource concerns
Al-Zaidi highlighted desertification and water scarcity as immediate threats to food security. He called for shared management of water resources based on cooperation and international law and asserted Iraq's commitment to securing its legitimate and fair water rights.
# Takeaway for investors and partners
# Closing line
Al-Zaidi concluded by rejecting a marginal role for Iraq: "It is the heart of history and the pulse of the present, and it is worthy of partnership for the future."
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