ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday marked World Environment Day, reaffirming the Region’s commitment to protecting natural resources in coordination with Baghdad and the international community to address environmental challenges. 

“On this World Environment Day, I extend greetings and appreciation to all environmentalists, organizations, and relevant parties in the Kurdistan Region who are sincerely working to protect the nature and beautiful environment of our country,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani wrote in a tweet. 

“We reaffirm that the Kurdistan Region, as always, remains committed to cooperation and joint action with the Federal Government of Iraq and the international community, in order to take the necessary measures to protect natural resources and ensure a healthy environment and a better future for our coming generations,” Barzani added.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has also launched several environmentally friendly projects in recent years aimed at improving the environment, preserving underground water sources and providing clean water to citizens. 

Barzani stressed that protecting the environment and addressing climate change is a shared national and humanitarian responsibility, not only a government duty. 

An environmental protection official Sanan Abdullah told The New Region on Friday that the Kurdistan Region has taken significant steps to protect the environment compared with other cities in Iraq and has strengthened its international standing.

The official highlighted improvements in air quality through stricter monitoring of factories and refineries, water conservation efforts through dams and ponds that have preserved around 10 billion cubic meters of water, and land protection measures requiring projects and factories to allocate 25 percent of their areas for green spaces, alongside ongoing recycling initiatives.

In January 2025 the KRG issued a set of preventive measures to curb environmental pollution, including ending gas flaring. 

Gas flaring, a practice where natural gas is burned off during oil extraction, has drawn criticism for its environmental impact and waste of valuable resources.