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USAID Iraq: Fact sheet no. 57, 23 July 2003

الوكالة الأمريكية للتنمية — العراق: نشرة حقائق رقم 57، 23 تموز 2003

Date
23 July 2003
Category
USAID
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USAID — Internet Archive
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Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Iraq – Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet #57, Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 July 23, 2003 • Current Humanitarian Situation (updated once a week) Sector Updates Coordination • On July 22, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and the head of a three-person delegation from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA)-facilitated Iraqi Governing Council provided a full update report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). • On July 22, the Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) and the Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center (HACC) hosted a non-governmental organization (NGO) Conference in Kuwait on the topic “Progress in Iraq: The Next Six Months.” Presenters included the CPA Southern Regional Office and USAID partners the International Medical Corps (IMC), Mercy Corps, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Bechtel. Bechtel presented on providing equal access to power for all Iraqis. CPA explained plans for the next six months to include the establishment of a police-training program and re-institution of the higher education system. Mercy Corps described a new program to promote citizen participation and included potential challenges such as insecurity and ethnic conflict. • At close of business on July 24, USAID’s Iraq Response Management Team (RMT) will cease operations. On July 25, responsibility for coordination of USAID’s activities in Iraq passes to the USAID Bureau for Asia and Near East (USAID/ANE) Iraq Management Team (IMT). Demining • In northern Iraq, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has established two new operations bases in Kirkuk and Mosul and is currently operating in seven governorates: As Sulaymaniyah, Arbil, Dahuk, At’ Tamim, Ninawa’, Salah ad Din, and Diyala’. In southern Iraq, MAG is based in Al Basrah and continues to build on relationships with health, religious, civil defense and education networks. • During the week ending July 11, MAG demined 22,493 square meters in northern Iraq, destroying 465 mines, 124,774 unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 189 cluster bomb units (CBU). Food Local Purchase • On July 16, the CPA reported that the second tranche of $50 million for local wheat and barley purchase would be released shortly to banks in the governorates, bringing the total amount of funds released for purchasing local grain to $105 million, or about two-thirds of the total amount allocated for local purchase. Pipeline • The importation of food into Iraq continues on target. On July 15, the UN World Food Program (WFP) reported that nearly 1.5 million tons, or more than the three months supply required by the Public Distribution System (PDS), have been dispatched to Iraq. Between July 9 and 15, the main corridors used were Syria (38 percent), Turkey (22 percent), Umm Qasr (14 percent), Jordan (14 percent), and Kuwait (12 percent). • On July 20, WFP reported that Umm Qasr port would serve as the primary point-of-entry for the southern corridor. WFP’s Emergency Operation for Iraq requires a total of 2.2 million tons of food through October 2003. Public Distribution System (PDS) • As of July 17, the Ministry of Trade (MOT) reported that 75 percent of the distribution agents had collected food rations for the month of July. • The USG Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) worked with mayors of the Arbil Governorate districts of Koya, Shaqlawa, Soran, Choman, and Mergasur concerning the PDS transition from WFP administration to the Kurdish regional government. The mayors emphasized that 90 to 98 percent of the residents in their districts rely heavily, if not completely, on the monthly rations for their sustenance. • On July 21, the PDS Handover Task Force for the north held its first meeting in Arbil. The joint CPA-U.N.- Kurdish Authority Group will guide the Oil-for-Food Program (OFFP) transition through November 21. Health • The World Health Organization (WHO) reports an increase in disease in Iraq this summer, particularly in the number of cases of diarrhea. Al Amarah General Hospital in Maysan Governorate has recorded a 1,400 percent increase in the number of cases of dysentery and a 3,000 percent increase in the number of cases of diarrhea Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 among infants in the last two months. Refugees • On July 16, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began registering Iraq's Palestinians who had been left largely without aid since April. According to UNHCR, the registration is expected to include 80,000 Palestinian refugees believed to be living in Iraq. Security • On July 20, a U.N. convoy traveling in Baghdad was attacked by small arms fire. One Iraqi driver was killed, and two international staff and an Iraqi national were injured. • On July 20, gunmen attacked two marked USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) partner IOM vehicles traveling on the road from Baghdad to Al Hillah. A local driver was killed and an IOM staff member was injured. A nearby convoy of World Health Organization (WHO) vehicles rendered assistance. • On July 22, unidentified gunmen killed an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff member from Sri Lanka as he was traveling north on the main road from Al Hillah to Baghdad. An Iraqi ICRC driver was also wounded in the attack and was taken to the surgical hospital in Al Hillah. Their vehicle was visibly marked with the red cross emblem. Current Reconstruction Situation (updated once a week) • Sector Updates Agriculture • A USAID representative in Al Basrah reviewed the projected date production for the harvest that begins September 15. Dates are Iraq’s second largest export. Farmers and exporters are concerned that the state- owned processing plant will be operational when the harvest begins. Airports • The Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) is functionally ready to undertake operations for civil aviation, and further reconstruction efforts are underway at the Al Basrah airport. CPA, USAID partner SkyLink, and the USAID airport engineer traveled to Al Basrah the weekend of July 18 to begin detailed discussions with the British military about preparations for the Al Basrah airport’s civil aviation operations. Education • On July 17, USAID partner Bechtel commenced school construction projects; work began on three schools in Baghdad. Nine schools are currently under construction in the Al Basrah area. . Electricity • On July 23, Iraq consumed 3,525 megawatts, 1,120 megawatts of which were consumed in Baghdad. Umm Qasr Port • Security inside the Umm Qasr Port area continues to improve. Contractors have begun working on the security fence; upgrades will include repair to the masonry fence, additional lighting, digging of a trench in front of the fence, and the addition of razor wire. Grain silos have power and are able to run grain through the facility. USAID partner Bechtel is also working on a plan to store grain in the silos. • Bechtel reports that an estimated 164,000 cubic meters were dredged at Umm Qasr port during the week ending July 20. U.S. Government Response (New information is underlined.) Emergency Relief and Transition Initiatives • USAID’s Office of U. S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is supporting U.N. and NGO emergency assistance activities through quick-impact projects and IDP support. USAID/OFDA supports projects in the sectors of agriculture, food security, health, logistics, nutrition, shelter, and water and sanitation. • USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) is providing emergency food commodities through the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT) and P.L. 480 Title II emergency food assistance to WFP for distribution to food insecure Iraqis. WFP also received a cash contribution from USAID/FFP for the purchase of commodities in the region. • The Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) contributed assistance for the pre-positioning and emergency response activities of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). • USAID/OTI is supporting the implementation of the Iraq Transition Initiative (ITI). The ITI program supports the process of political stabilization and community recovery in post-conflict Iraq by providing small grants designed to build confidence among Iraq's diverse ethnic groups, increase citizen participation in decision- making, and rapidly respond to community needs, while establishing and building trust for long term reconstruction efforts. The ITI program is implemented through USAID/OTI implementing partners Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) and IOM. In addition, USAID/OTI works with the Broadcasting Board of Governors to enhance the capacity of Radio SAWA to broadcast humanitarian and reconstruction reporting. Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 • On July 17, USAID/OFDA airlifted 12 basic and 12 supplementary WHO medical kits to International Medical Corps (IMC) in Baghdad. Each basic kit will provide enough medicine for 10,000 people for 30 days. IMC is working with Kimadia, the central pharmaceutical warehouse in Baghdad. • On July 21, USAID/OFDA announced plans to provide an additional $15.5 million to the following cooperative agreement partners: CARE, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mercy Corps, Save the Children US (SC/US), World Vision (WVI), and International Medical Corps (IMC). • USAID/OFDA cooperative agreement partner World Vision reported that the first truck of medical supplies has arrived under an implementation plan to re-supply 13 Mosul area hospitals with a three-month supply of critical intravenous fluids. World Vision also reported the delivery of three USAID/OFDA WHO health kits to hospitals in Al Qaim and Al Rutbah in Al Anbar Governorate. • USAID/OFDA partner the International Rescue Committee (IRC) will distribute 100 safe delivery kits to Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and midwives who did not receive safe delivery kits from a 2002 distribution. The IRC’s aim is to reach all midwives and TBAs in Karbala’ Governorate. • USAID/OFDA partner IRC completed the equipping of four primary health clinics in Karbala’ Governorate, reaching the half way mark toward the goal of equipping eight clinics. As of July 21, IRC has conducted training on community health promotion for 18 community health workers in Al Bath, 12 in Al Nasser, 20 in Al Hur, and 20 in Al Husseinia, for a total of 70 workers in Karbala’ Governorate. IRC has completed nearly half of its health activities ahead of schedule. • As part of its water and sanitation work activities in At’ Tamim, An Najaf and Karbala’ Governorates, USAID/OFDA partner IRC recently completed rehabilitation of the first four (of a total of fourteen) compact water treatment plants (CWTP) in Karbala’. At the request of the Department of Water Supply, IRC recently repaired a severe leak in the distributor pipes on the main An Najaf water treatment plant. • USAID/OTI partner IOM signed a contract for the establishment of Kirkuk's first Employment Center. Work on the facility began on July 19 and is scheduled to be completed by August 5. This project will target the labor market in the city of Kirkuk through the establishment of an Employment Office to serve as a clearinghouse for employers and job hunters. The grant will, among other things, rehabilitate a facility to house the new office as well as provide furniture and computers. • USAID/OTI and partner Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) recently worked with community members in the Sheikhan Region (on the border of Arbil and Dahuk Governorates) to identify needs in a number of villages, including a well and generator to serve the poorest villages, a park for children, and a soccer facility to serve teams from the 36 neighboring villages. • USAID/OTI partner DAI recently signed a grant agreement with the local branch of the German NGO, WADI (Association for Crisis Assistance and Solidarity Development) to support programs for vulnerable women. Targeting women in Halabjah and Hawraman in As Sulaymaniyah Governorate, the project will provide resources, supplies, and equipment for facilitation of literacy, tailoring, and hair-cutting courses. The courses will also address healthcare, mine awareness, and women’s rights. Many of the women are illiterate and have lost husbands and sons, leaving them to support their families. • Working with Coalition forces and CPA Baghdad Central Region, USAID/OTI is providing support to the management of the Zawra Zoo and Park in central Baghdad. As of July 21, engineers have provided support to restore facilities for the care of zoo animals and the general infrastructure of the park. Through partner DAI, USAID/OTI will provide basic office equipment and furniture to the park's administrative staff. Reconstruction • In addition to the emergency relief assistance provided through the DART by USAID and the Department of State, USAID’s Asia and Near East Bureau (USAID/ANE) has provided timely assistance for reconstruction activities in Iraq in a broad range of sectors. USAID supports reconstruction projects in education, governance, health, and infrastructure. • On July 17, Bechtel announced the completion of the four-lane Al Mat Bridge bypass. Located near the village of Ar Rutbah in Al Anbar Governorate, on Highway 10, the Al Mat Bridge provides a major humanitarian aid and commercial route to and from Jordan. More than 3,000 trucks per day carry humanitarian shipments and other goods along the route. An Iraqi firm, Al-Bunnia Trading Company, was the lead subcontractor on the project. Now that the bypass has been completed, work on the Al Mat Bridge can begin. Bechtel estimates that completion of the bridge will take six months. On July 23, Bechtel reported that design of the Al Mat Bridge is 85 percent complete. • On July 23, USAID partner Bechtel reported that design plans for the Al Khazir Bridge, located on Highway 2 between Mosul and Arbil, have been completed and the final design review has begun. The Al Khazir Bridge, a critical link in the movement of fuel and agriculture products, spans the Zab River, and the proposed plan is to phase demolition and reconstruction of the bridge while maintaining reduced traffic flow. • As of July 18, the USAID reconstruction portfolio has awarded 258 small grants that support local governance. Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 • Representatives of USAID partner Research Triangle Institute (RTI), the Director of Municipalities for the city of Al Basrah, the Director of Municipalities for Al Basrah Governorate, and USAID/OTI partner IOM are coordinating the restoration of open space park facilities in Al Basrah and An Nasiriyah. IOM will renovate the facilities, after which RTI will provide equipment and furniture for the Al Basrah Governorate Director of Municipalities office. • USAID partner RTI is collaborating with IMC on the renovation and furnishing of the infants’ orphanage in An Nasiriyah. • USAID partners Abt Associates and IMC have completed the preliminary phase of an inventory and status assessment of the central pharmaceutical warehouse in Kimadia, a state-owned pharmaceutical company in Baghdad. The debrief for the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) International Medical Assistance Coordination (IMAC) team included recommendations to improve the drug distribution monitoring system. • On July 19, USAID’s Press Office facilitated media coverage of the delivery of USAID/OTI’s "Ministry-in-a- Box" to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. USAID also held interviews regarding USAID's role in reconstructing Iraq and USAID's implementation of infrastructure projects in Iraq. On July 20, USAID provided public affairs support for Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz’s visit to Iraq. Background • Since 1991, the Iraqi population has subsisted on the brink of a humanitarian disaster due to the lingering effects of war, sanctions, and drought. Between 1991 and 1996, the USG provided nearly $794 million in humanitarian assistance to IDPs in northern Iraq. • In 1996, the Government of Iraq accepted the OFFP, after which humanitarian conditions improved. Revenues from the OFFP provided food, medicine, and other civilian goods to assist vulnerable Iraqis through the PDS. However, widespread corruption by Iraqi officials limited the effectiveness of the OFFP program. • On March 20, 2003, Coalition forces began military operations in Iraq. On May 1, 2003, 42 days after the conflict began, U.S. President George W. Bush announced that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. Although the conflict did not result in the large-scale humanitarian crisis and widespread displacement many had envisioned, the conflict and subsequent disorder have exacerbated the Iraqi population's vulnerability. • In March 2003, the USG deployed a multi-agency DART to the region to assess and respond to humanitarian needs and to help coordinate the emergency relief effort. In addition, a number of staff were deployed to prepare for immediate reconstruction requirements. In Iraq, the DART established offices in Arbil, Baghdad, Al Hillah, and Al Basrah. In addition, DART members were also located in Kuwait and Cyprus, and worked closely with U.N. agencies, NGOs, and in coordination with U.S. Military Civil Affairs personnel. Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 Agency Implementing Partner Sector Regions Amount FY 2003 EMERGENCY RELIEF USAID/OFDA ........................................................................................................................................... $54,898,340 Administrative Administrative Costs Countrywide $4,061,957 AirServ Logistics Countrywide $2,151,585 ARC Capacity building, Disaster support Al Basrah $542,047 The Cuny Center Research studies Countrywide $40,260 GOAL Coordination, Nutrition Al Muthanna $1,507,900 International Dispensary Association Health Countrywide $711,850 InterAction Coordination Kuwait City $92,860 IOM IDP programs Countrywide $5,000,000 IMC Capacity building Countrywide $202,900 Logistics Commodities and DART support Countrywide $8,003,850 SCF/US NGO Consortium Countrywide $883,131 UNICEF Health, nutrition, water/sanitation Countrywide $4,000,000 UN OCHA Coordination and Information Countrywide $1,200,000 WFP Logistics and pre-positioning of food Countrywide $5,000,000 Cooperative Agreements IMC Quick-impact projects: Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Water/Sanitation Countrywide $5,000,000 Health Al Basrah, Maysan, Wasit, Kirkuk, At’ Tamin Health, Water/Sanitation An Nasiriyah IRC Quick-impact projects: Health, Water/Sanitation Countrywide $3,000,000 Water/Sanitation Kirkuk, Karbala’, Najaf Mercy Corps Quick-impact projects: Health, Non- Food Items, Shelter, Water/Sanitation Countrywide $3,000,000 Water/Sanitation Kirkuk Water/Sanitation Diyala, Al Kut, Khanaqin Water/Sanitation Wasit Water/Sanitation Al Basrah SCF/US Quick-impact projects: Food Security, Health, Shelter, Nutrition, Non-Food Items, Water/Sanitation Countrywide $4,000,000 Nutrition Mosul Health, Transportation Mosul Water/Sanitation Al Basrah Health Mosul Health Baghdad Nutrition Baghdad Water/Sanitation, Health Al Basrah IDP Support Al Basrah World Vision Quick-impact projects: Health, Logistics, Non-Food Items Countrywide $2,500,000 Water/Sanitation Al Anbar Hospital Rehabilitation Al Anbar Water/Sanitation Mosul CARE Quick-impact projects Countrywide $4,000,000 Water System Rehabilitation Al Anbar Blankets, Hygiene Kits Baghdad Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - July 23, 2003 U.S. Government Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance to Iraq* USAID/FFP...............................................................................................................................................$389,333,000 WFP Operations Countrywide $55,000,000 WFP Emerson Trust – 81,500 MT Countrywide $45,633,000 WFP P.L. 480 Title II emergency food commodities – 105,300 MT Countrywide $88,700,000 WFP Regional Purchase – 330,000 MT Countrywide $200,000,000 STATE/PRM ..............................................................................................................................................$37,630,000 UNHCR Emergency assistance Countrywide $21,000,000 ICRC Emergency assistance Countrywide $10,000,000 IFRC Emergency assistance Countrywide $3,000,000 IOM TCN – transportation assistance Countrywide $3,630,000 RECONSTRUCTION USAID/ANE .............................................................................................................................................$665,064,094 Abt Associates Health Countrywide $11,995,000 AFCAP Logistics Countrywide $8,500,000 Army Corps of Engineers Architecture and Engineering services Countrywide $10,000,000 Bechtel Capital Construction Countrywide $482,000,000 Community Action Program Grassroots Development Countrywide $35,000,000 IRG Reconstruction Support Countrywide $9,786,094 RTI Local Governance Countrywide $19,611,000 CAII Education Countrywide $22,853,000 UNICEF Health, Water and Sanitation Countrywide $20,000,000 UNICEF Education Countrywide $7,000,000 UNESCO Textbook Printing and Distribution Countrywide $10,000,000 WHO Health Countrywide $10,000,000 SSA Port Management Umm Qasr $4,819,000 SkyLink Airport Management Baghdad $8,000,000 MSI Monitoring and Evaluation Countrywide $5,500,000 USAID/OTI.................................................................................................................................................$29,601,190 Administrative Administrative Costs Countrywide $1,066,831 IOM Iraq Transition Initiative Countrywide $10,587,595 DAI Iraq Transition Initiative Countrywide $14,473,253 Internews Media Countrywide $160,359 Radio SAWA Media Countrywide $400,000 Spa War Inter-Ministry Communications Countrywide $2,913,152 TOTAL USAID ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003.....................................................................$1,138,896,624 TOTAL STATE ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003.........................................................................$37,630,000 TOTAL STATE/USAID ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003 ......................................................$1,176,526,624 *Figures in funding sheet are subject to change and do not represent a final official accounting of USG obligations.