PROSPECTS – Improving Prospects for Host Communities and Forcibly Displaced Persons in Iraq (Opportunity Fund Phase 2)

PROSPECTS is a partnership and a multi-year programme financed by the Government of the Netherlands and brings together the IFC, ILO, UNICEF, UNHCR and the World Bank to address crucial and emerging challenges of protracted displacement, in close coordination with the governments of the hosting countries. The Partnership focuses on four areas of intervention that enable forcibly displaced persons to overcome their specific vulnerabilities and host communities to pursue their own development efforts in transformed environments. These are: education and learning; employment; protection; and critical infrastructure. Opportunity Fund was introduced as an instrument to strengthen closer cooperation between the PROSPECTS Partners at country, regional or global levels in Phase 1 of PROSPECTS. The Netherlands kept the same instrument in Phase 2 to scale-up projects that have proven successful but also support innovative pilots testing new programming and policy approaches. As a result of this process, ILO has become part of various Opportunity Fund projects at country, regional (on durable solutions) and global levels. This country project is composed of two components. First, "Bridging the Gap: Inclusive Skills-to-Employment Pathways for Vulnerable Young People in Iraq" aims to enable vulnerable young people in Iraq, especially forcibly displaced youth (refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees), young women and youth with disabilities in Ninewa and Dohuk, to transition from learning and skills acquisition into decent employment, self-employment and access to finance. Secondly, "Piloting Micro-credentials for Entry-Level Skills in the construction sector" aims to enhance the responsiveness of Iraq's skills recognition system by designing, piloting, and integrating a formal micro-credentialing framework within the national education strategy and TVQF.

Project symbol

IRQ/25/50/NLD

Admin unit

RO-Arab States/DWT-Beirut

Start date

01/12/2025

End date

31/12/2027

Total allocation

4396040

Total expenditure

Status

Active

52787

Development Partners

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Country/Countries

Iraq

Outcomes

Outcome 4: Sustainable enterprises for inclusive growth and decent work
Outcome 3: Full and productive employment for just transitions