The Government of New Zealand has contributed an additional US$1 million to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS), which finances fast-track initiatives in areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This brings the New Zealand’s total contribution to FFS to $2 million to date. Based on priorities identified by the […]
New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee has today named Bradley Sawden as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Iraq. New Zealand established an Embassy in Baghdad in 2015 to support New Zealand and Australia’s joint ‘Building Partner Capacity’ mission. “This mission has trained over 20,000 Iraqi police and army personnel who are on the frontlines […]
By John Lee. Baghdad has again been ranked as the city with the world’s worst quality of living, according to the Mercer 2017 Quality of Living Survey. Just ahead of it in the table of 231 cities are Sana'a in Yemen and Bangui in the Central African Republic. Vienna again retains the top spot; Zurich […]
The Government of New Zealand has contributed US$1 million to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization (FFIS), which finances fast-track initiatives in areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Based on priorities identified by the Government of Iraq and local authorities, FFIS helps to quickly repair public infrastructure, provides grants to small […]
By John Lee. Iraq has been ranked 161th out of 189 countries in the World Bank‘s recent Doing Business 2016 report, down from 156th place the previous year. Top of the list were Singapore, New Zealand and Denmark, with last place going to Eritrea, just behind Libya and South Sudan. The pace of business regulatory […]
KRG Minister for Foreign Relations, Falah Mustafa Bakir, this week discussed business and economic opportunities in the Kurdistan Region with senior members of the New Zealand Middle East Business Council. The Members of the Council included Vice Chairman of the Council, Michael Webb, Executive Committee Member, Deborah Schlichting, and Executive Advisor, Michelle Boag. Mr. Bakir […]
By John Lee. New Zealand-owned fast food outlet BurgerFuel has reportedly suspended its operations in Iraq. The company had only one store, in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, and before the insurgency it had given its partners approval to re-locate to Baghdad, with a re-opening planned for later this year. According to TVNZ, CEO Josef […]
By John Lee. New Zealand-based meat processor Alliance Group said it was developing meat export opportunities in Iraq. The cooperative has just completed its first full year of exporting directly to hotels, restaurants, and catering companies in Iraq, and its exports of Pure South brand lamb have increased by about 35 percent in the past […]
BurgerFuel Worldwide, the New Zealand-based fast food company, has sold the Master License agreement for the rights to BurgerFuel Iraq. BurgerFuel chief executive for international markets, Chris Mason, who is based in Dubai, said: “We’re moving forward in our plans to establish BurgerFuel in the Middle East by adding Iraq to our other territories in […]
