Iraq still needs international support in the country's reconstruction and tackling the adverse effects of climate change, said Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Friday.

"Iraq looks forward to receiving further UN support in reconstructing the liberated areas affected by the occupation of Islamic State (IS) militants," al-Kadhimi told the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, saying it would help these cities and their people to return to normal life again.

Talking about climate change, he said the country "is going through difficult climate conditions due to the scarcity of water resources. This has recently led to the drying up of most of the Iraqi marshes areas and caused damage to the livelihoods of hundreds of families living there."

"As we suffer from climate change, we will also suffer from all the measures taken to address this phenomenon and the reduction in dependence on fossil fuels," said al-Kadhimi, adding that the Iraqi government's efforts in clean energy will be a heavy burden on the country's economy.

Iraq's economy heavily relies on crude oil exports, which account for more than 90 percent of the country's revenues.

According to the UN Environment Programme, Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to climate change. Last year's record low rainfall and this year's dust storms have led to water shortages, desertification and soil erosion in the country.

"This requires international support in various fields to back Iraq's efforts and enable it to move forward in implementing national policies and strategies to mitigate and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change," al-Kadhimi said.

(All images via VCG.)

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