Challenges of Environmental Governance in Iraq and Strategies for Its Strengthening Based on Sustainable Development Standards

Abstract

Environmental governance in Iraq, as one of the principal foundations for achieving sustainable development, faces numerous structural, legal, institutional, and security-related challenges that have generated significant negative impacts on public health, natural resources, and the country’s social stability. The central issue of this study is why Iraq’s environmental governance system, despite the existence of legal frameworks and international commitments, remains incapable of effectively protecting the environment, and how this system can be strengthened in accordance with sustainable development standards. Using a descriptive–analytical method, the author concludes that the weakness of environmental governance in Iraq is not merely the result of insufficient legislation, but also stems from factors such as political instability, weak institutional capacities, fragmented authority, lack of transparency and public participation, and the incompatibility of national policies with international sustainable development standards. Accordingly, strengthening environmental governance requires a multidimensional approach that simultaneously pursues legal framework reform, the empowerment of executive institutions, the integration of environmental concerns into economic and energy policies, and the expansion of regional and international cooperation. Aligning Iraq’s environmental governance system with the principles of sustainable development, including good governance, intergenerational justice, stakeholder participation, and institutional accountability, can effectively contribute to mitigating environmental crises and reinforcing the country’s path toward sustainable development. Reforming environmental governance in Iraq is not only an environmental necessity, but also a fundamental prerequisite for achieving lasting stability, development, and human security in the country.