Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani on Tuesday directed all provinces and ministries to announce public celebrations on October 3rd, in honor of Iraq’s National Day.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s media office:

> “In preparation for celebrating Iraq’s National Day, which falls on October 3rd, and in order to highlight this occasion that expresses the value of national belonging, unity of our people, and the reinforcement of national identity, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani has instructed all ministries and provinces to declare national celebrations for this occasion.”

The directives include:

- Raising the Iraqi flag in public spaces

- Organizing cultural and social public events

- Holding National Day activities both inside and outside Iraq

These events are to be coordinated by a special committee formed under Al-Sudani’s directive on September 18.

Background on Iraq’s National Day:

The idea of designating October 3rd as Iraq’s National Day was first proposed in 2008, commemorating the day Iraq declared independence from the British Mandate and joined the League of Nations on October 3, 1932.

However, successive Iraqi governments did not adopt this date as a national holiday following the July 14, 1958, revolution, nor after the U.S. invasion on April 9, 2003. At one point, there was a proposal to mark the day of the U.S. invasion as a national holiday to celebrate the end of Ba'ath Party rule, but this was widely rejected.

Eventually, support grew for reviving October 3rd as a symbol of independence. In February 2008, it was officially designated as Iraq’s National Day, and the decision was formally enacted in September 2020 through a government-issued law.

Some Iraqi historians argue that the 1932 independence was not complete, while others believe October 3rd marks a historically significant event worthy of national recognition.