USAID Iraq: Fact sheet no. 26, 5 May 2003

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Iraq – Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet #26, Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 May 5, 2003 Background • Humanitarian conditions deteriorated in Iraq following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Government of Iraq (GOI) manipulation of international sanctions. In 1996, the GOI accepted the U.N. Oil-for- Food Program (OFF), after which humanitarian conditions improved. • Between 1991 and 1996, the U.S. Government provided nearly $794 million in humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Iraq. • Since 1996, revenues from OFF have provided food, medicine, and other civilian goods to assist vulnerable Iraqis. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan noted in a letter to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), that the GOI has ordered and paid for food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies under OFF that have not yet been delivered. • The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that 16 million Iraqis —approximately 60 percent of the total population—rely solely on food rations distributed through OFF in order to meet household needs. • On March 20, 2003, Coalition forces began military operations in Iraq. As a result of the conflict, the U.N. Secretary General suspended the OFF food distribution system. On March 28, the UNSC unanimously passed resolution 1472 that allows the U.N. to administer Iraq’s OFF program for 45 days. On April 24, the U.N. Security Council approved an ext ension of WFP's management of the Oil-for-Food program from May 12 until June 3. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE SOURCE Internally Displaced in Iraq • 87 in Arbil • 1,817 in Dahuk • 1,089 at Jordanian border (No Man’s Land) UNOHCI (April 29, 2003) UNOHCI (April 29, 2003) IOM (May 2, 2003) Refugees from Iraq • 717 – Jordan Old caseload refugees: • 204,000 – Iran • 17,000 – Saudi Arabia (Urban) • 5,200 – Saudi Arabia (Rafha) • 250,000-300,000 – Jordan • 60,000 – 70,000 – Syria IOM (April 30, 2003) UNHCR (April 2003) Central Iraq • Coalition forces have deemed Samarra in Salah ad Din governorate, and Al Kut and An Nu’maniyah in Wasit governorate to be permissive areas. • On May 2, the DART conducted a security and humanitarian assessment of Al Hillah. The DART reports there are no acute food shortages, water is functioning at 75 percent of capacity, electricity is not fully operational, and the price of cooking gas is increasing. Southern Iraq • The DART reports that there continue to be concerns regarding the supply of cooking gas and related fuels for the southern region of Iraq. The Al Basrah refinery, the reported primary source of propane cooking gas for most of southern Iraq, is damaged and not expected to be on line for at least a month. Reports from several governorates in the southern Iraq describe dwindling domestic supplies. The fuel situation is particularly tense in Al Kut, with near-rioting conditions reported in early May. • On May 1 and 2, the DART, accompanied by GOAL and the International Medical Corps, visited two hospitals and local water and sewage treatment facilities in An Nasiriyah. The DART attended a meeting on May 2 in which local leaders presented the town’s most critical needs: food, propane, hospital security, and medicines. • On May 3, the U.N. established a permanent presence of humanitarian staff in Al Basrah including staff from the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), WFP, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.N. Development Program (UNDP). Western Iraq • The DART reports that eight new third country nationals (TCNs) and eight new refugees entered Jordan on May 2. The eight TCNs entered the TCN camp. Meanwhile, a total of 762 people remained in the refugee Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet – May 5, 2003 camp. On May 2, 1,089 people remained in the no man’s land. Of this total, 979 were Iranian Kurds, 13 were other Iranians, six were Iranian Persians (new category) and 91 were Arabs. Current Humanitarian Situation by Sector Food • According to the WFP, as of April 30, 73,913 metric tons (MT) of emergency food commodities have entered Iraq from five different humanitarian corridors: Turkey - 55,080 MT; Syria - 10,775 MT; Jordan - 5,428 MT; Iran - 1,771 MT; and Kuwait - 879 MT. Of this total tonnage, As Sulaymaniyah received 24,558 MT; Arbil received 12,987 MT; Mosul received 10,540 MT; Kirkuk received 9,765 MT; Dahuk received 9,706 MT; Baghdad received 5,428 MT; and An Nasiriyah received 879 MT. • On May 3, the DART provided a generator to WFP to provide lighting in the Umm Qasr warehouse during the unloading of 14,000 MT of USG-funded rice. The first night, the stevedores were forced to unload the rice in the dark. The DART agreed to provide a generator and WFP arranged its transport to Umm Qasr on May 3. The WFP Port Captain got it running the same day and the workers had sufficient light to work that night. Education • UNICEF assessment teams report only minor damage in 90% of 179 schools that were occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the three northern governorates of Arbil, Dahuk, and Sulaym aniyah. • The U.N. Office of Project Services (UNOPS) on May 4 reported that schools have resumed in the North, and are slowly beginning to open in central and southern Iraq. Teachers, school management, and civil servants are also returning to work. UNOPS reports the main problem now is lack of payment for teachers and administrative staff. A number of schools also lack water and satisfactory sanitation facilities. Some looting of office furniture is reported to have taken place in some of the schools, but looting of student desks and teaching materials has been minimal. Population Movements • On May 5, 59 Iraqi prisoners of war in Iran were repatriated under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Iraqi prisoners of war were flown from Tehran to Baghdad. Water/Sanitation • The DART is assisting UNICEF in developing a matrix for assessing the operational status of water supply and sanitation facilities throughout Iraq. As information becomes available, towns and cities will be graded according to their water and sanitation status. UNICEF will maintain the matrix and update it periodically. • U.S. Government Response (New information is underlined) Emergency Relief • Since March 2003, the United States Government has deployed a multi -agency DART to the region to assess and respond to humanitarian needs and to help coordinate the emergency relief effort. In Iraq, the DART has established offices in Al Basrah, Arbil, and Baghdad. In addition, DART members are located in Kuwait, Jordan, Cyprus, and Qatar and are working closely with U.N. agencies, NGOs, and in coordination with U.S. Military Civil Affairs personnel at the Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC). • 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/sanitation. On May 5, CARE announced an OFDA-supported emergency water system rehabilitation in Qaim and Ar Rutba towns, Al Anbar Governorate, and the transportation and distribution of OFDA-provided blankets and hygiene kits to 28 hospitals in Baghdad. • USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) provided emergency food commodities through the Emerson Trust 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. • USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (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 Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). • The Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) contributed assistance for the pre-positioning and emergency response activities of UNHCR, the 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). 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 assistance for reconstruction activities in Iraq in a broad range of sectors. USAID supports reconstruction projects in education, governance, health, infrastructure, and logistics. Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet – May 5, 2003 • USAID has also deployed staff to the region to begin reconstruction efforts. Several USAID administrative, governance, health, infrastructure, and education have established offices in Baghdad, with several other personnel in Kuwait. USAID is assisting government ministries in becoming operational and public services to get restarted in Baghdad. Other Donor and International Organization Assistance* US $ DONOR (MILLIONS) DATE (2003) ASSISTANCE SNAPSHOT Australia $62.5 April 22 U.N. agencies, ICRC, and NGOs Belgium $4.4 April 29 ICRC, UNICEF CIDA Canada $67.5 $3.8 March 26 ----- U.N. agencies including WFP, IOs, NGOs, CARE Canada for water and sanitation, food, shelter, and health Response to U.N. Preparedness Measures Appeal China March 27 Tents Republic of Croatia $2.75 April 3 Blankets, sleeping bags, flour, sugar, water purification disinfectants European $109.8 April 22 U.N. agencies, IOs, and NGOs Commission Finland $1.7 March 25 ICRC, UN OCHA, WFP France $10.7 Humanitarian Assis tance Germany $50 May 5 UNHCR, WFP, ICRC Greece $4.3 April 4 U.N. agencies and NGOs Iceland $3.75 April 8 ICRC, NGOs, UNCHR, WFP India $20 April 4 WFP and U.N. Consolidated Appeal Ireland $55.3 April 15 U.N. agencies and NGOs for hum anitarian assistance Japan $100 April 9 WFP, vehicles , Bilateral Assistance Korea $10 April 3 U.N. agencies and Korean NGOs Kuwait March 24 Food assistance and an emergency medical center Netherlands $19.6 April 2 U.N. Consolidated Appeal and ICRC New Zealand $3.3 March 20 U.N. agencies including WFP, IOs, and NGOs Norway $21.6 March 20 WFP, NGOs for humanitarian assistance Russia March 23 Assistance for refugees. Spain $58.6 April 22 U.N. agencies, bilateral refugee assistance, and NGOs Sweden $5.4 March 27 Switzerland $21.5 April 16 ICRC Taiwan $4.3 March 27 Refugee assistance – food, medicine, nonfood items United Kingdom $330 March 24 U.N. agencies including WFP, IOs, and NGOs – food, health kits, water units, winter supply kits, primary health, IDP assistance OTHER DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO DATE** .................................................................................................... $970.8 MILLION *This compilation was drawn from donor govern ment web sites and may represent pledged or committed funding. The list may not be comprehensive. ** This total is approximate as the value of donated commodities is not available in some cases. Public Donation Information • The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash donations to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for their activities in the Gulf can be found in the “How Can I Help” section at [www.usaid.gov/iraq]. • USAID encourages cash donations because they: allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as staff time, warehouse space, etc); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance. • General information on making donations and volunteering can be found at: o USAID: www.usaid.gov/iraq -> “How Can I Help?” o The Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or 703-276-1914 o InterAction: www.interaction.org -> “Guide to Appropriate Giving” o Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.org. *Fact Sheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at http://www.usaid.gov/iraq Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet – May 5, 2003 U.S. GOVERNMENT HUMANITARIAN AND RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ Agency Implementing Partner Sector Regions Amount FY 2003 EMERGENCY RELIEF USAID/OFDA ............................................................................................................................................................$51,232,905 Administrative Administrative Costs $3,406,209 AirServ Logistics Country-wide $2,151,585 The Cuny Center Research studies Country-wide $40,260 International Dispensary Association Health Country-wide $711,850 InterAction Coordination Kuwait City $92,860 IOM IDP programs Country-wide $5,000,000 IMC Capacity building Country-wide $202,900 Logistics Commodities and DART support Country-wide $8,044,110 SCF/US NGO Consortium Country-wide $883,131 UNICEF Health, nutrition, water/sanitation Country-wide $2,000,000 UNICEF Water/sanitation Country-wide $2,000,000 UN OCHA Coordination and Information Country-wide $200,000 UN OCHA Coordination and Information Country-wide $1,000,000 WFP Logistics and pre-positioning of food Country-wide $5,000,000 Cooperative Agreements IMC Quick-impact projects: Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Water/Sanitation Country-wide $4,000,000 Health Al Basrah, Maysan, and Wasit Health, Water/Sanitation An Nasiriyah IRC Quick-impact projects: Health, Water/Sanitation Country-wide $3,000,000 Mercy Corps Quick-impact projects: Health, Non- Food Items, Shelter, Water/Sanitation Country-wide $3,000,000 Water/Sanitation Kirkuk SCF/US Quick-impact projects: Food Security, Health, Shelter, Nutrition, Non-Food Items, Water/Sanitation Country-wide $4,000,000 World Vision Quick-impact projects: Health, Logistics, Non-Food Items Country-wide $2,500,000 CARE Quick-impact projects Country-wide $4,000,000 Water System Rehabilitation Al Anbar Blankets, Hygiene Kits Baghdad USAID/FFP ...............................................................................................................................................................$430,000,000 WFP Pre-positioning funding Country-wide $55,000,000 WFP Emerson Trust – 161,000 MT Country-wide $84,000,000 WFP P.L. 480 Title II emergency food commodities – 105,000 MT Country-wide $91,000,000 WFP Regional Purchase Country-wide $200,000,000 USAID/OTI ................................................................................................................................................................... $5,042,344 Administrative Administrative Costs Country-wide $708,732 IOM Iraq Transition Initiative Country-wide $1,700,000 DAI Iraq Transition Initiative Country-wide $2,473,253 Internews Media Country-wide $160,359 Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet – May 5, 2003 U.S. GOVERNMENT HUMANITARIAN AND RECONST RUCTION ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ Agency Implementing Partner Sector Regions Amount FY 2003 EMERGENCY RELIEF (cont.) STATE/PRM...............................................................................................................................................................$36,630,000 UNHCR Emergency assistance $21,000,000 ICRC Emergency assistance $10,000,000 IFRC Emergency assistance $3,000,000 IOM TCN – transportation assistance $2,630,000 RECONSTRUCTION USAID/ANE ...............................................................................................................................................................$78,400,000 ABT Health $10,000,000 AFCAP Logistics $4,000,000 Bechtel Capital Construction $34,600,000 IRG Reconstruction Support $7,100,000 RTI Local Governance $7,900,000 CAII Education $1,000,000 UNICEF Health $8,000,000 UNICEF Education $1,000,000 WHO Health $10,000,000 SSA Port Management $4,800,000 TOTAL USAID ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003................................................................................$574,675,249 TOTAL STATE ASSIS TANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003.................................................................................$36,630,000 TOTAL STATE/USAID ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003................................................................$611,305,249