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POL-80

This is a proposal for discussion, not an enacted law.

Ali Zuweid's Political Programme

Proposed legislation · Health, social protection and family

Social Protection, Targeting and Social Transfers Law

Legislative reconstruction of non-contributory social protection: needs-based targeting, a unified social registry, adequate reviewable transfers, child protection, gradual transition from assistance to work and shock response, retaining the Social Protection Authority and its Fund.

Prepared by:

Document number
POL-80
Version
1.0
Publication date
7 October 2026
Scope
Republic of Iraq

Executive summary

Iraq already has an extensive social-protection system. Law No. (11) of 2014 established the Social Protection Authority, its Fund and Information Technology Centre, linked eligibility to the poverty line and social assessment, and authorised cash transfers and services. In 2026, the Mizallati platform still operates on this basis, managing millions of household files.

Practice has outgrown the original legislative structure: electronic linkage has developed, progress towards a unified social registry has been made, child grants and health- and education-linked transfers have emerged, and rapid shock response is increasingly needed. Meanwhile, exclusion errors, budget-related waiting, governorate disparities, inflexible benefit values and overlapping benefits remain insufficiently addressed by the 2014 provisions.

POL-80 proposes repealing and replacing Law No. (11) of 2014 while preserving the Authority, Fund, rights, cards, staff and data. It prohibits parallel institutions and universal beneficiary re-registration. Open registration replaces intake ‘batches’; eligibility becomes dynamic; rigid geographical quotas are prohibited; and individuals may know decision reasons, correct data and challenge decisions.

Annual transfer review shall use a formula linked to the poverty line and household income gap rather than statutory fixed nominal amounts. Targeted supplements may support children, pregnancy, older people, disability and shocks. Gradual benefit graduation as income improves prevents employment from causing abrupt protection loss.

The proposal clearly separates non-contributory assistance from pensions and workers' social security under separate legislation. The unified registry coordinates and prevents unlawful duplication only, with data safeguards and a ban on fully automated adverse decisions.

Contents

  1. Executive summary
  2. Constitutional and legal context
  3. Legislative policy
  4. Draft law
  5. Chapter One — General provisions and principles (Articles 1–10)
  6. Chapter Two — Social Protection Authority and governance (Articles 11–20)
  7. Chapter Three — Unified social registry and data (Articles 21–33)
  8. Chapter Four — Registration, targeting and eligibility (Articles 34–51)
  9. Chapter Five — Benefits and social transfers (Articles 52–69)
  10. Chapter Six — Case management, services and empowerment (Articles 70–80)
  11. Chapter Seven — Shock-responsive social protection (Articles 81–88)
  12. Chapter Eight — Decisions, complaints and grievances (Articles 89–99)
  13. Chapter Nine — Social Protection Fund, finance and oversight (Articles 100–105)
  14. Chapter Ten — Violations, transitional and final provisions (Articles 106–112)
  15. Explanatory reasons and memorandum
  16. Harmonisation with existing legislation
  17. Transition and implementation requirements
  18. Financial and implementation impact
  19. Safeguards and oversight
  20. International and comparative references
  21. Sources and references

Proposed legislative policy

Repeal and replacement of Law No. (11) of 2014 is preferable to parallel programmes or narrow amendment. Existing foundations—an authority, poverty targeting, fund and linked data—are sound, but unified registries, digital decisions, shock response and multiple benefit packages require clearer legislation.

The Authority and Fund remain; no new authority is created. Functions are reorganised around registration, targeting, benefit administration, payment, complaints and case management. Eligibility powers are distinguished from ministries' health, education, labour and housing responsibilities.

Targeting moves from ‘category + registration batch + governorate quota’ to continuous, reviewable and explainable need assessment. Vulnerable groups retain priority, but poor families are not excluded for lacking traditional categorical labels; equally, category membership alone does not guarantee poverty assistance where income is sufficient.

The social registry coordinates rather than comprehensively surveils. Access and correction rights, limits on unnecessary sharing, prohibition of fully automated adverse decisions and evaluation of targeting models for exclusion and bias are established.

Rather than fixing cash amounts that soon lose value, the Law requires a published formula linked to poverty, income gaps and household size with annual review. Child, pregnancy, older-age, disability and shock supplements prevent one benefit from serving every risk inadequately.

Protection connects to work through gradual transition: services, training and suitable offers precede phased reductions after income stabilises. This reduces benefit traps and protects against relapse where work is temporary or unstable.

Proposed legislative transition
AreaCurrent positionProposed change
Eligibility basisPoverty targeting with categorical lists and enrolment campaigns.Open registration and dynamic needs targeting, prioritising vulnerable groups without restricting eligibility to them.
Registry and dataInformation Technology Centre and government database linkage.Unified registry with correction rights, access audits and prohibition of fully automated adverse decisions.
Benefit valueNominal schedule adjustable by periodic decisions.Formula linked to poverty, income gaps and household size, with annual adequacy review.
ChildrenServices and conditional transfers possible under the Law.Child, early-childhood and education supplements designed as incentives rather than punishments when services are unavailable.
WorkPossible benefit suspension after refusal of jobs or training.Suitable job offers, gradual exit and rapid return after job loss.
GeographyBeneficiary numbers allocated by population and poverty.No rigid governorate ceilings; resources follow poverty severity and deprivation.
ShocksNo detailed structure for scalable responses.Horizontal and vertical expansion, emergency reserves, pre-registration and humanitarian-cooperation safeguards.
GrievancesHigher committees, objections and administrative courts.Reasoned decisions, traceable complaints, functionally independent grievances and interim measures against livelihood harm.

Draft law

In the name of the people

Presidency of the Republic

On the basis of enactment by the Council of Representatives under Article (61), First, and Article (73), Third, of the Constitution of the Republic of Iraq, the following Law is proposed:

Social Protection, Targeting and Social Transfers Law

Explanatory reasons and memorandum

Explanatory reasons

This Law is proposed to implement constitutional Article (30), direct support to greatest need, reduce inclusion and exclusion errors, establish stable legal rules for registries, interoperability and shock response, link assistance to poverty and subsistence capacity, protect data and objection rights, and preserve the Authority, Fund and existing beneficiaries' rights.

Why replacement is preferable to narrow amendment

Existing legislation predates the unified national registry, extensive linkage, digital payments, Cash Plus pilots and social shock response. Scattered amendments would create an unwieldy composite. Replacement preserves the institution while coherently reorganising functions, eligibility, payments and objections.

From category to need

Widows, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, households losing breadwinners and displaced persons retain priority, but category is distinguished from poverty. Poor households should not be excluded for lacking traditional labels, nor affluent households receive poverty assistance merely by category. Compensatory rights connected to disability, martyrdom and other grounds remain under specific legislation.

The social registry is more than a list of names

The registry becomes an eligibility and coordination platform, subject to correction, minimisation, logged access and human review. Opaque automated refusals are prohibited because targeting models can err or rely on outdated or inaccurate data.

Transfer adequacy

The 2014 fixed-amount schedule suited a particular stage but cannot serve long-term changes in prices and poverty. Published formulas and annual review replace legislated figures. Assistance as a share of the poverty line must be published for parliamentary and public adequacy assessment.

Children and integrated transfers

The proposal draws on recent Iraqi experience in Muthanna linking child and pregnancy transfers to health and nutrition. It avoids blind punishment: benefits cannot be cut for non-use where schools, health centres or transport are unavailable.

Employment without benefit traps

Protection should support stable-income transitions rather than penalise them. Assistance does not end with the first wage; transitional tapering and simplified return after early job loss apply. Work-capable people may meanwhile receive training, employment services and suitable offers.

Shock response

Crises demonstrate that routine databases are insufficient without legal rapid-expansion powers. The proposal allows increased payments, temporary new households and emergency reserves, with humanitarian-cooperation and data safeguards.

Harmonisation with existing legislation

Legislation and systems requiring alignment
Legislation or systemCurrent relationshipProposed action
Social Protection Law No. (11) of 2014Establishes the Authority and Fund and regulates targeting and assistance.Repeal and replacement retaining the Authority, Fund, rights, data and staff.
Social Protection Authority Functions Regulation No. (1) of 2016Organises existing Authority duties.Non-conflicting provisions continue temporarily; replacement within 180 days shall align with unified registration and benefit management.
2017 Instructions Facilitating Social Protection Law ImplementationDetail committees, procedures and implementation.Temporary continuation followed by reissued registration, assessment and grievance procedures under the new Law.
Workers' Retirement and Social Security Law No. (18) of 2023Contributory insurance protection for workers.Not merged into POL-80; linked to exchange entitlement/income status and prevent unlawful duplication.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities LawDisability rights, benefits and support costs.Disability benefits do not replace poverty assistance; clear combination rules assess net economic capacity.
Health Insurance Law No. (22) of 2020Healthcare coverage and financing.Use registration to facilitate subsidised coverage and synchronise eligibility without excessive medical disclosure.
National Card and Civil Status lawsIdentity and civil events.Use national numbers and linkage, with temporary pathways for lost documents or incomplete registration.
Data protection and digital-government laws upon enactmentData processing and interoperability.Treat the registry as highly sensitive, with minimisation, correction and audit rights.

Transition and implementation requirements

Transition timetable
PeriodRequirement
0–3 monthsContinue payments, files and cards unchanged; establish a transition team and inventory regulations, contracts and databases.
Up to 6 monthsIssue Authority, Fund, benefit-formula and registry regulations; adopt benefit-combination matrices and grievance rules.
6–12 monthsLaunch an operational unified registry with access/correction rights; audit targeting; link principal identity, income, pension and social-security databases.
12–18 monthsMigrate linkable federal cash programmes to the registry or interfaces, replace annual with continuous updating, and implement gradual graduation.
Within 24 monthsComplete shock response and financing reserves and publish the first national evaluation of exclusion/inclusion errors and benefit adequacy.

Uninterrupted service governs transition. More than two million households shall not re-register from scratch; functioning databases shall not be abruptly replaced without parallel operation and reconciliation. First-year priorities are correction access, targeting review, benefit formulas and linkage of the most consequential data sources.

Financial and implementation impact

POL-80's principal fiscal burden is not a new institution: the Authority, Fund, payment platform and researchers exist. Costs arise from adequate funding, updated benefits, expanded coverage of eligible excluded households, registry and interoperability improvements and shock reserves.

The May 2026 payment indicates approximately 441 billion dinars monthly for about 2.059 million households outside the Kurdistan Region. If stable, basic transfers alone would total approximately more than five trillion dinars annually before other programmes. The proposal therefore avoids unfunded numerical promises, requiring medium-term costing and adequacy formulas reviewed by the Council of Ministers and Parliament through budgets.

Unified registration, data matching and separation of overlapping benefits may save money by eliminating duplication and fraud. Savings shall not be presumed or used to justify reduced coverage. Recoveries, inclusion/exclusion errors and administrative costs shall be disclosed to assess efficiency and fairness together.

Digital transition costs are limited relative to transfers if existing government infrastructure and common interoperability standards are used. Cybersecurity, model audits, telephone support and physical service points still require funding to prevent digital exclusion.

Safeguards and oversight

  • Year-round open registration rather than brief application batches.
  • Reasoned decisions, data access, correction and grievance rights.
  • No benefit refusal or suspension solely through automation without human review.
  • Independent targeting-model evaluation for exclusion, inclusion and geographical bias.
  • Clear separation of household registration, eligibility assessment and payment, avoiding confusion between listed names and entitlement.
  • Monthly payment-contract financial audits and Federal Board of Supreme Audit and Integrity Commission oversight.
  • Quarterly applications, refusals, grievances and governorate-disparity reports; annual adequacy and expenditure reports.
  • No electoral, commercial or unrelated-service use of protection data.

International and comparative references

Iraq ratified ILO Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention No. (102) in 2023, accepting Parts Two through Ten. Although POL-80 concerns non-contributory assistance, adequacy, sound administration, challengeable rights and minimum income security remain important system-wide references.

ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation No. (202) advocates lifecycle guarantees, adequate predictable benefits, effective complaints and appeals, periodic monitoring and sustainable finance. The proposal translates these into national rules without copying foreign models or creating unfunded rights.

In 2026, UNICEF, the European Union and the joint United Nations programme supported Iraqi exchanges with Oman on lifecycle protection, sustainability and integration of assistance, social security and labour markets. The proposal follows this direction while retaining Iraqi competences and integrating through registries and interoperability rather than merging different institutions into one fund.

The Kurdistan Region's 2026 poverty-targeted safety-net experience also demonstrates the importance of interoperable rules across domestic systems, respecting constitutional competences, portability and non-duplication.

Sources and references

  1. Constitution of the Republic of Iraq — Iraqi Council of RepresentativesArticles 29, 30, 22 and 34 and other constitutional foundations of social security, family, work and education.
  2. Ministry of Justice — Social Protection Law No. (11) of 2014 with Council of Ministers Decisions 254 of 2016 and 153 of 2021Official reference for current legislation and associated decisions.
  3. Ministry of Justice — Iraqi Official Gazette issue 4316Documents publication of Social Protection Law No. (11) of 2014 on 24 March 2014.
  4. Ministry of Justice — Committee working-mechanism instructions under the Social Protection LawDocuments Instructions No. (7) of 2017 on committee mechanisms.
  5. Ministry of Justice — Instructions facilitating Social Protection Law implementationDocuments implementing Instructions No. (8) of 2017.
  6. Social Protection Authority — Mizallati platformCurrent digital services: poverty registration, annual declarations, identity and ration-card updates and payment searches.
  7. Ministry of Planning — Household Socioeconomic Survey resultsAnnounces national poverty of 17.5% in the 2023–2024 survey.
  8. Ministry of Planning — Supporting the poorest governoratesLatest announced 2024 governorate poverty rates and their use in identifying the poorest governorates.
  9. Iraqi News Agency — May 2026 assistance paymentOfficial Labour Ministry data on approximately 2.059 million households and May 2026 payment value.
  10. Iraqi News Agency — Unified social registryLabour Ministry announcement of approaching registry launch and its role against duplication and manipulation.
  11. United Nations in Iraq — Annual Results Report 2025Documents national registry design and launch, quality/sharing policies, strategy development and complaints mechanisms.
  12. UNICEF Iraq — Integrated child-benefit initiative in MuthannaIraqi integrated child and pregnancy cash-transfer experience linked to health, nutrition and services.
  13. UNICEF Iraq — Reform and technical exchange with Oman, 2026Documents movement towards integrated sustainable lifecycle protection connecting assistance, social security and labour-market policies.
  14. UNICEF Iraq — Social PolicyAnalysis of multidimensional poverty gaps, targeting and safety-net information-system development.
  15. ILO NORMLEX — Ratifications for IraqDocuments Iraq's ratification of Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention No. 102 on 22 March 2023.
  16. ILO — Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)International principles of adequacy, predictability, complaints and social-protection floors.

Ali Zuweid's Political Programme — Proposed legislation within the health, social-protection and family axis. It is not enacted law unless constitutional legislative and publication procedures are completed.

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