USAID Iraq: Fact sheet no. 40, 23 May 2003

Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - May 22, 2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Iraq – Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet #40, Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 May 23, 2003 Current Situation (Updated Daily) Regional Updates Northern Iraq • According to the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), internally displaced person (IDPs) in Kirkuk generally fall into one of three categories: (1) Kurdish returnees, wanting to reclaim their homes and property taken during the Arabization process of Saddam Hussein’s regime. So far, the majority of these IDPs come from Al Suleymaniah, Arbil, and Chamchamal; (2) Displaced Arabs--approximately 400 families. Arabs in several areas are being displaced from their houses by Peshmerga or other Kurds in order to make room for Kurds returning to the ‘newly liberated areas’; and (3) Residents forced out of their homes by Kirkuk landlords. Rent in Kirkuk has skyrocketed, and therefore owners can get more money if they rent to newcomers. • Property disputes and land shortages are, and will likely continue to be, flashpoints for violence in Kirkuk. Many homes currently house two or three families, and are not suitable for sheltering additional relatives. Some street squatters say they have families in Kirkuk, but their homes are already too full to accommodate them. Return of additional IDPs is anticipated within four to six weeks because school will be out and the harvest will be finished. Coalition forces have collected approximately 500 property claims to date for the downtown Kirkuk area. Sector Updates Food • According to a recent Civil Affairs assessment of Al Qadisiyah governorate’s pending wheat crop, there is a concern that the number of insects found in the wheat crop this year will increase because of more frequent sand storms. In spite of the insect concerns, the total wheat crop may be larger than the harvest of 2002. Last year’s crop was about 130,000 metric tons (MT) and the 2003 harvest is projected to be 140,000 MT. The harvest period is usually between April 20 and June 1. There is still a significant amount of wheat that has not been harvested. The farmers must pay the combined operators 8,000 Iraqi Dinar to harvest the grain plus the cost of gasoline and motor oil. There is apparently a shortage of money for farmers to pay for the combine service, and thus the crop is not being harvested. Another reason is that the silos are not open to accept the grain because they don’t have money to pay the farmers. Grain is delivered to the silos by one of two different methods. Either the farmers deliver the wheat or the personnel running the combines delivers the wheat to the silo. There are 360 combines in the Al Qadisiyah governorate with 250 of them operational. In 2002, the price paid to the farmers was 165,000 Iraqi Dinar per MT for the highest quality wheat and 150,000 Iraqi Dinar per MT for lower quality wheat. The average price was 155,000 Iraqi Dinar for one MT of harvested wheat. • According to the Humanitarian Operations Center, the M/V Irazou began discharging the first of the 14,400 MT of bagged rice on May 22. On May 23, the Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) had offloaded 730 MT on two trucks bound for Al Basrah and An Nasiriyah. In addition, the Thor Mariner is expected to berth in Umm Qasr on May 23 carrying 14,000 MT of USAID-funded WFP bagged rice. • According to the World Food Program (WFP), a humanitarian air service for Iraq run by the WFP became fully operational with the arrival of 60 United Nations staff on a Boeing 737 passenger jet in Arbil this week. The Boeing 737, making the first of what will be a thrice-weekly run between Arbil, Amman, Basra, and Kuwait, is the largest in a fleet of five passenger and cargo planes dedicated to the needs of aid workers deployed in Iraq and surrounding countries. In addition, a 15-seat Beechcraft 1900, shuttling between Amman, Baghdad and Larnaca, plus an Antonov 12 and two Hercules C130 cargo planes complete the fleet that will be managed by WFP for the U.N. Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS). The air service, scheduled to run for six months at a cost of $23 million, was launched by WFP’s Aviation Unit in the agency’s Rome headquarters. The air service provides additional support to WFP’s $1.3 billion, six-month Emergency Operation (EMOP) to feed more than 27 million people through Iraq’s public distribution system. Health • The DART reports that doctors at the Maternal and Child Hospital of Ad Diwaniyah in Al Qadisiyah governorate stated that the hospital faced a number of problems, including no staff salary payments, a lack of some essential drugs, limited supply of oxygen, cooling system breakdowns, a shortage of fuel for ambulances, and insecurity. However, the hospital’s interim director explained to DART members on May 22 that many of Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - May 22, 2003 the hospital’s current problems also existed before the recent conflict. The hospital has 260 beds and 24 specialist doctors, 14 of whom are women. The doctors estimated that 70 percent of the 100 to 150 children they treat daily suffer from diarrhea, and about one third of these patients have severe diarrhea. They said this number is comparable to previous years. Doctors said there is an adequate supply of water in Ad Diwaniyah, but that the quality is poor, leading to diarrheal problems. Poor rural residents are often forced to obtain water straight from the canals. The nutrition rehabilitation center at the Maternal and Child Hospital of Ad Diwaniyah closed one year ago because deliveries of therapeutic milk and high-protein biscuits ceased. Several days ago, CARE delivered 40 cartons of lactose-free milk, high-protein biscuits, cheese, blankets, and detergents. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-Holland, International Rescue Committee, and Mercy Corps had also visited during the last three weeks. Infrastructure • According to Coalition sources, several transmission line repairs were completed on May 22 adding to the stabilization of supply and increased distribution. These repairs will add an anticipated 300 megawatts to Baghdad in the near future. The city of Mosul, however, was reportedly not following national load shedding directions due to political considerations of the city’s recently elected governor. Population Movement • The DART is working with International Medical Corps’ implementing partner Ockenden International on the emergency needs of approximately 2,000 IDPs who were displaced by the recent conflict in Al Amarah, Maysan Governorate, by providing OFDA -supplied non-food relief items including blankets and hygiene kits. U.S. Government Response (New information is underlined) Emergency Relief • USAID/OFDA is supporting U.N. and NGO emergency assistance activities through quick-impact projects and internally displaced persons (IDP) support. USAID/OFDA supports projects in the sectors of agriculture, food security, health, logistics, nutrition, shelter, and water/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. • USAID/FFP recently finalized the initial commodity contributions to WFP's Emergency Operation (EMOP) in Iraq. As a consequence, in earlier fact sheets, USAID/FFP used estimated figures for both the Emerson Trust and Title II accounts. Figures have now been revised to reflect actual rather than estimated values. In addition, as more OFF contracts are renegotiated with the extended June 3 deadline outlined in U.N. resolution 1472, WFP has successfully resourced over 1.3 million MT of commodities including large amounts of wheat. The Emerson Trust wheat is no longer required for Iraq but will be drawn down to meet urgent humanitarian needs in the Greater Horn of Africa. Future Title II contributions to Iraq will include complementary commodities to meet shortfalls in oil and pulses for the PDS ration in Iraq. • 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). In addition, USAID/OTI works with the Broadcasting Board of Governors to enhance the capacity of Radio SAWA to broadcast humanitarian and reconstruction reporting. • USAID/OTI is developing an initiative to help provide equipment to fire departments in Iraq's five largest cities: Kirkuk, Mosul, Baghdad, An Nasiriyah, and Al Basrah. Many of these departm ents were looted and/or heavily vandalized in the days immediately following the war. Their continuing inability to respond effectively to residential, commercial and other fires represents a serious threat to public safety. USAID/OTI will work with the Fire Rescue Development Program, with extensive experience in rebuilding fire departments in war- torn countries. Their approach is to conduct in-country assessments of fire departments' needs, and to subsequently collect/ship equipment and supplies that meet the needs they identify in the course of their assessment. This initiative is closely coordinated with Civil Affairs units, which have undertaken preliminary reviews of fire departments in these cities. • 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). Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - May 22, 2003 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. Infrastructure • USAID private sector partner Bechtel has completed evaluation of the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), which is considered highest priority for Iraqi airspace re-opening to commercial traffic. • USAID/Bechtel began evaluating the Al Basrah airport to determine necessary infrastructure repairs. Former Iraqi airport workers are repairing and maintaining the airport under the supervision of, and in coordination with, British military engineers. Local Governance • A local governance technical expert with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) continues to implement the Neighborhood (Hai’) Advisory Council project, which includes 83 neighborhoods in Baghdad. These committees will select representatives to the nine municipal councils. These representatives will select representatives to the Baghdad City Council, which serves the needs of more than 5 million Iraqi citizens. Umm Qasr Port • The British military officially turned over operations at the Port of Umm Qasr to USAID private sector partner Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) on May 22. Immediate port repairs and improvements are being carried out by SSA. 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 U.S. Government provided nearly $794 million in humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons in northern Iraq. • In 1996, the Government of Iraq accepted the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program, after which humanitarian conditions improved. Revenues from the OFF program provided food, medici ne, and other civilian goods to assist vulnerable Iraqis through the Public Distribution System. However, widespread corruption by Iraqi officials limited the effectiveness of the OFF 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 combat operations in Iraq have ended. Although the recent conflict did not result in the large-scale humanitarian crisis and widespread displacement many had envisioned, the conflict and subsequent disorder has exacerbated the Iraqi population's vulnerable circumstances. • In March 2003, the United States Government deployed a multi-agency Disaster Assistance Response Team 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, Baghdad, and Al Hillah. In addition, DART members are located in Kuwait, Jordan, Cyprus, and Qatar and are working closely with U.N. agencies, Non- Governmental Organizations, and in coordination with U.S. Military Civil Affairs personnel. Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet Other Donor and International Organization Assistance* - May 22, 2003 US $ DONOR (MILLIONS) DATE (2003) ASSISTANCE SNAPSHOT Australia $64.9 April 29 U.N. agencies, ICRC, and NGOs Austria $1.1 April 1 UNICEF Bangladesh $2 April 4 Food Assi stance Belgium $4.4 April 29 ICRC, UNICEF Canada $74.6 March 26 WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, ICRC, NGOs China March 27 Tents Croatia $2.8 May 2 Blankets, sleeping bags, flour, sugar, water purification disinfectants European $117.7 April 22 U.N. agencies, IOs, and NGOs Commission Finland $5.13 March 25 ICRC, UN OCHA, WFP France $10.7 UNICEF, WFP, NGOs Germany $50 May 5 UNHCR, WFP, ICRC Greece $4.6 May 5 UNHCR, ICRC, NGOs Iceland $3.75 April 8 ICRC, NGOs, UNCHR, WFP India $20 April 4 WFP and U.N. Consolidated Appeal Ireland $5.1 March 31 U.N. agencies and NGOs for humanitarian assistance Japan $212 May 1 U.N. Agencies, NGOs, Bilateral Assistance Korea $10 April 3 U.N. agencies and Korean NGOs Kuwait $30 March 14 UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, ICRC Netherlands $20.5 April 2 U.N. Consolidated Appeal and ICRC New Zealand $2.3 April 22 U.N. agencies including WFP, IOs, and NGOs Spain $56.7 April 22 U.N. agencies, bilateral refugee assistance, and NGOs Sweden $38 April 11 OCHA, UNICEF, ICRC, IFRC Switzerland $21.9 April 16 ICRC, UNCHR, IOM, IFRC, OCHA Taiwan $4.3 March 27 Refugee assistance – food, medicine, nonfood items United Kingdom $382 April 29 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** ...................................................................................................$1,144 MILLION *This compilation was drawn from the Department of State tracking of donor government 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 22, 2003 Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet U.S. Government Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance to Iraq - May 22, 2003 Agency Implementing Partner Sector Regions Amount FY 2003 EMERGENCY RELIEF USAID/OFDA ............................................................................................................................................................$51,601,793 Administrative Administrative Costs Countrywide $3,775,097 AirServ Logistics Countrywide $2,151,585 The Cuny Center Research studies Countrywide $40,260 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 $8,044,110 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 $4,000,000 Health Al Basrah, Maysan, Wasit, Kirkuk Health, Water/Sanitation An Nasiriyah IRC Quick-impact projects: Health, Water/Sanitation Countrywide $3,000,000 Mercy Corps Quick-impact projects: Health, Non- Food Items, Shelter, Water/Sanitation Countrywide $3,000,000 Water/Sanitation Kirkuk Water/Sanitation Diyala 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 CARE Quick-impact projects Countrywide $4,000,000 Water System Rehabilitation Al Anbar Blankets, Hygiene Kits Baghdad USAID/FFP ...............................................................................................................................................................$389,333,000 WFP Pre-positioning funding Countrywide $55,000,000 WFP Emerson Trust – 81,500 MT Countrywide $45,633,000 WFP P.L. 480 Title II emergency food commodities – 105,000 MT Countrywide $88,700,000 Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Fact Sheet - May 22, 2003 Agency Implementing Partner Sector Regions Amount FY 2003 EMERGENCY RELIEF (cont.) USAID/OTI ................................................................................................................................................................... $5,442,344 Administrative Administrative Costs Countrywide $708,732 IOM Iraq Transition Initiative Countrywide, Umm Qasr $1,700,000 DAI Iraq Transition Initiative Countrywide, Baghdad, Mosul, Umm Qasr $2,473,253 Internews Media Countrywide $160,359 SAWA Media Countrywide $400,000 STATE/PRM...............................................................................................................................................................$36,630,000 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 $2,630,000 RECONSTRUCTION USAID/ANE ...............................................................................................................................................................$95,700,000 ABT Health Countrywide $10,000,000 AFCAP Logistics Countrywide $8,000,000 Bechtel Capital Construction Countrywide, Mosul, Arbil, Umm Qasr, Baghdad, Al Basrah $34,600,000 IRG Reconstruction Support Countrywide $9,800,000 RTI Local Governance Countrywide, Al Basrah, Baghdad $7,900,000 CAII Education Countrywide, Al Basrah $1,000,000 UNICEF Health, Water and Sanitation Countrywide $8,000,000 UNICEF Education Countrywide $1,000,000 WHO Health Countrywide, Mosul, Baghdad $10,000,000 SSA Port Management Umm Qasr $2,900,000 SkyLink Logistics Baghdad $2,500,000 TOTAL USAID ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003................................................................................$542,077,137 TOTAL STATE ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003.................................................................................$36,630,000 TOTAL STATE/USAID ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN FY 2003................................................................$578,707,137