ترجمه

UNAMI Observations and Proposed Next Steps:

Roundtable on “Hydrocarbon Management in the Context of a Federal System”

25/26 November 2008

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A. Background.
1. On 25/26 November 2008, the Office of Constitutional Support (OCS) of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), with logistical assistance of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and funding support from the European Commission, hosted a multilateral roundtable under the title “Hydrocarbon Management in the Context of a Federal System.” This event was organized at the request of the leadership of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) of the Iraqi Council of Representatives and held in the International Convention Centre (Baghdad). It was designed to follow-up, among a broader range of participants, on the 14 July 2008 discussion on “Constitutional Dimensions of Hydrocarbon Revenue Sharing,” organized by UNAMI/UNOPS at request of the CRC, and held at the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. Both roundtables were intended to advance the resolution of several very important questions within the Iraqi Constitutional Review Process that relate to federalism and hydrocarbon management.
2. The 25/26 November discussion benefited from broad participation by important Iraqi officials and experts, included leading members of the CRC from the principal political factions (UIA; Kurdistan Alliance, Tawafuq); members of the parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee; two former Ministers of Oil; senior legal, political and economic advisors to the executive branch; other parliamentarians; the Deputy Head of the Central Bank of Iraq; other policymakers within the Government of Iraq; Iraqi experts and UN officials; as well as members of the Kurdistan National Assembly and representatives from the Iraq Ministry of Oil. The latter two institutions had not participated in the earlier (July) discussion. In addition, UNAMI/UNOPS invited two international experts, Professor Cindy Skach (Oxford University) and Mr. Ronald Jonkers (Hills Stern), to facilitate discussions and provide advice on the issues of federalism and hydrocarbon regulation, respectively.
3. It was the objective of the 25/26 November roundtable to facilitate the continuation of a focused, constitutional dialogue among a group of influential Iraqi policymakers and experts, spanning across the legislative and executive branches, with a particular emphasis on the federalism and hydrocarbon management. New economic pressures, driven by falling oil prices, as well as recent developments with respect to regional aspirations in the South, now underscore the importance of arriving at a mutually acceptable resolution of these questions. The political timeframe, in turn, includes a window of opportunity situated between the upcoming provincial and subsequent federal elections (March 2010). UNAMI OCS is prepared to organize and deliver a set of discussions and conferences o