The College of Political Science at the University of Baghdad launched the activities of its fourth international scientific conference in cooperation with the National Security Advisory, entitled “The Iraqi National Security Strategy in Promoting Sustainable Development”, with a wide attendance of Iraqi and Arab academics and researchers.
The conference was inaugurated by the Dean of the College, Assistant Professor Dr. Adel Al-Badawi, with a speech in which he pointed out that countries suffering from poverty, unemployment, and instability also suffer from major security threats. In contrast, investment in education, health and infrastructure contributes directly to building a secure and sustainable society, stressing that security is not a fortress of steel, but rather an integrated system of values, institutions, strategies, and policies that protect the homeland and preserve its capabilities. He explained that development is not just numbers and economic indicators, but rather a comprehensive process that targets people and believes in their capabilities. He indicated that national security is not limited to protecting our borders and confronting terrorist risks or external threats only, but we must realize that security stems from within our societies, as national security is not achieved through military force or political considerations alone, but rather has real momentum when it overlaps with the concept of sustainable development, as national security is inseparable from development, as they are two sides of the same coin. The conference witnessed, on its first day, three research sessions that came out with several recommendations, the most prominent of which was building international partnerships with countries and international organizations to benefit from the expertise and resources needed to achieve sustainable development in Iraq, as well as diversifying sources of income and moving away from total dependence on oil, by investing in other sectors to achieve sustainable development in Iraq, in addition to preserving the environment and protecting natural resources, and reducing water and air pollution, which has reached high levels in Iraq, especially in the capital, Baghdad, with an emphasis on enhancing the participation of women and youth in all dimensions of the sustainable political, economic, and social environment in Iraq, and working in the Iraqi parliament to issue appropriate legislation for sustainable projects, in addition to creating the appropriate political, economic and social environment for sustainable development in Iraq, by combating corruption and reducing bureaucracy in administration and institutions
