Iraq has officially exited the list of countries using children in armed conflicts, announced Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ahmad Al-Asadi. In a statement, Al-Asadi noted that "the latest report from the UN Secretary-General regarding countries utilizing children in armed conflicts did not include Iraq, due to our commitment to the joint action plan we signed with the UN country team (UNICEF and UNAMI) aimed at preventing the involvement of children in armed conflicts."
He emphasized that "this step will enhance Iraq's standing in the international community." Al-Asadi confirmed that "Iraq has adhered to everything stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol of 2008, which it signed." The statement highlighted that "the executive committee of the monitoring and reporting mechanism, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Labor for Social Affairs Huda Sajad and directly supervised by the Minister of Labor, worked in less than a year on implementing the plan in cooperation with the country team, UNAMI, and several ministries, which included stages of prevention, treatment, and cooperation."
