Speakers
Description
The 2018 UN GEO-6 report classified Iraq 5th most climate vulnerable globally and the UN have further warned that by 2035, Iraq may meet only 15% of its total water demand if current severe water crises trends persist. Equally, as latest as September 2025, IOM recorded that 186.00 Iraqi people are displaced due to water scarcity. In 2025, the Iraqi parliament, admitted that massive rural water shortages drive farmers and villagers to cities, Environmental changes in Iraq trigger socio-economic issues. The study is qualitative and exploiting a socio-legal approach, the primary data is in the form of interviews which were conducted with selected respondents (7) of various backgrounds, and secondary data from journal articles, books, and credible online sources were analyzed thematically. This study aims to scrutinise water insecurity and climate migration in Iraq. Study, revealed that Iraq faces a water crisis from declining Tigris-Euphrates flows (down 30–40% since 1980s per FAO 2023), threatening agriculture, and ecosystems. Similarly, study indicates the Iraqi water in-security and environmental decline has had a direct effect on agriculture with wheat and barley production falling by 30–40% during recent drought years and climate-driven displacement is on the rise. The study recommended that there is a need to strengthen Iraq water security strategies to address such threats, Iraq requires urgent reforms, domestically, must establish a national water diplomacy body, Hence, regionally, should leverage its 2023 accession to the UNECE Water Convention by engaging international mediators (like the UN) to negotiate binding water agreements with Turkey and Iran. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and academic community, contributing to a better understanding of regional security dynamics and strategies, while identifying areas for future examination in water insecurity and climate migration in broader Middle Eastern.
Climate Change, Migration, Water Insecurity, Iraq, Socio-Economic.
| If you are submitting an Open Panel proposal, have you included all four abstracts in attachment? | No, I am submitting a Closed Panel abstract |
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| Would you like to be considered for travel funding through the NetSec COST Action? | Yes |
| Are you a member of the NetSec Management Committee? | No |
| What discipline or branch of humanities or social sciences do you identify yourself with? | security studies |
| Which of the following best describes your stage of the career? | PhD Candidate |
| In which country is your home institution? | Iraq |
| What is your gender? | Male |