Video: Chatham House Iraq Initiative Conference 2025

By John Lee.

Earlier this month, Chatham House presented its Iraq Initiative Conference 2025.

At this seventh annual Iraq Initiative conference, Iraqi and international policymakers, experts and civil society, convened in London to explore Iraq's trajectory in the year ahead.

The conference explored key questions including:

• How can Iraq foster long-term stability in an era marked by regional and global uncertainty?
• What measures are essential to build a more resilient and inclusive economy that prioritises societal well-being?
• What roles should regional and international actors play in these efforts?

Speakers and moderators included:

• HE Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Prime Minister, Republic of Iraq (via Zoom)
• Dr Renad Mansour, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme; Director, Iraq Initiative, Chatham House
• Abbas Al-Anbori, Founder and President, Baghdad Rewaq Center for Public Policy
• Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and Climate Change, Kurdistan Regional Government
• Dr Amer Al-Adhadh, Advisor, Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq; Chief Executive, Reform Management Cell
• Dr Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
• Dr Mac Skelton, Director, Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS), American University of Iraq, Sulaimani; Senior Research Fellow, King's College London
• Dr Mehdi Alhaddad, Senior Engineer, Transport for London
• Dr Mohamed Al Hassan, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq; Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)
• Dr Munqith Dagher, CEO and Founder, Independent Institute of Administration and Civil Society Studies (IIACSS); Board Member, Gallup International
• Dr Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
• Dr Ziad Daoud, Chief Emerging Markets Economist, Bloomberg; Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
• Farhad Alaaldin, Advisor, Foreign Affairs, Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq
• Harry Istepanian, Co-Founder and Programs Director, Iraq Climate Change Center (IC3+)
• Hayder Al-Shakeri, Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
• HE Dr Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran; President, Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS)
• Lahib Higel, Interim Deputy Program Director, Middle East and North Africa; Senior Analyst for Iraq, International Crisis Group
• Maria Luisa Fantappiè, Head, Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali
• Maryam Nemazee, News anchor, Broadcaster and Journalist
• Raghad Al-Abboodi, Founder and Director, She Codes Too
• Stephen Hickey, Director, Middle East and North Africa, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
• Yousif Maki Knawi, Governor of Najaf

Click here to view video of the event [English].

Click here to view video of the event [Arabic].

(Source: Chatham House)

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