The Federal Foreign Office will support a three-year project to reform vocational training in Iraq to the tune of 2.9 million euro. The aim of the project is to realign curricula with the demands of the labour market.

Together with Iraqi institutions, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) will modernize curricula, above all for technology-intensive trades in the water, health and transport sectors. There are also plans to create a network to enhance links with German and Iraqi businesses.

Since 2003, German Government support for Iraq has totalled approx. 400 million euro. The funds are being used to support a number of basic and further training projects in areas including the judicial sector, the development of democratic institutions based on the rule of law, and human rights. During his visit to Baghdad on 4 December 2010, Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle pledged additional support for the country’s political, economic and social reconstruction.