Baghdad - INA
The advisor to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Mahdi Al-Alaq, affirmed on Thursday that genuine job opportunities are linked to acquiring skills and raising knowledge levels. He noted that the female economic activity rate in Iraq does not exceed 13%.
Al-Alaq told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "A number of recommendations have been submitted to governments on more than one occasion, the most important of which is improving human capital by increasing opportunities for skills and knowledge, not just academic education." He pointed out that "real job opportunities lie in acquiring practical skills and raising knowledge levels, and this is one of the fundamental points."
Al-Alaq emphasized "the necessity of increasing the female economic activity rate because in Iraq, the female economic activity rate does not exceed 13%. This means that we are hindering a large percentage of human potential from entering the labor market and achieving appropriate levels of productivity that would increase the gross domestic product and improve the country's economic situation."