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WFP Iraq Country Brief, July 2019

In Numbers

  • 378,787 people assisted in July 2019
  • 1,87 mt of food assistance distributed
  • USD 3.04 million cash-based transfers made
  • USD 68.2 million six months (August 2019 – WFP January 2020) net funding requirements

Operational Updates

  • In July, WFP delivered food assistance to 378,787 people in 10 governorates, reaching 89.7 percent of the monthly target of 422,376 people. This is mainly due to some delays in Mobile Money Transfers (MMT) payments to people assisted due to banking regulations issues. WFP Iraq is taking steps to resolve this by opening a local bank account in Iraqi dinars.
  • WFP Iraq continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MoMD) to meet the food needs of IDPs. In Anbar, Ninewa and Salah al-Din, WFP delivered a “top-up” to MoMD’s assistance. This represents around 65 to 70 percent of the total entitlement provided by MoMD and mainly consists of cereals and lentils (50 kg per-household) to complement MoMD’s food basket, or a cash transfer of 11,000 IQD.
  • General food assistance to refugees is now being delivered through MMT. The transition from e-vouchers included successful rounds of SIM card distributions in nine camps, with good coordination between WFP teams, partners, camp management and Financial Service Provider (FSP) teams.
  • In close coordination with the Ministry of Education, preparations are underway to resume School Feeding in October for the new academic year. A Call for Proposals for cooperating partners took place, and recruitment for the new team is also starting.
  • Over 1,000 students graduated from the first cycle of EMPACT digital skills training. They are now enrolled in advanced (Level 2) courses focusing on advanced digital skills and English. Outreach is underway for the second cycle of new students to begin Level 1 classes in August. WFP Iraq’s sub-offices have received a donation of Google Chromebooks, which will be handed over to EMPACT classrooms for participants to use for freelance work from August.
  • As part of the testing phase of the digitalisation of Iraq’s Public Distribution System (PDS) social safety locations in Anbar governorate. The first ePDS distributions took place in Duhok and Najaf, and the second distribution cycle took place in Baghdad.
  • In partnership with Mosul University, WFP Iraq’s Resilience team has begun the “three-pronged approach” (3PA) training for the planning of resilience projects. The 3PA takes into account the nationwide, seasonal/livelihoods and community levels for planning.

(Source: WFP)

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WFP Iraq Country Brief, July 2019

In Numbers

  • 378,787 people assisted in July 2019
  • 1,87 mt of food assistance distributed
  • USD 3.04 million cash-based transfers made
  • USD 68.2 million six months (August 2019 – WFP January 2020) net funding requirements

Operational Updates

  • In July, WFP delivered food assistance to 378,787 people in 10 governorates, reaching 89.7 percent of the monthly target of 422,376 people. This is mainly due to some delays in Mobile Money Transfers (MMT) payments to people assisted due to banking regulations issues. WFP Iraq is taking steps to resolve this by opening a local bank account in Iraqi dinars.
  • WFP Iraq continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MoMD) to meet the food needs of IDPs. In Anbar, Ninewa and Salah al-Din, WFP delivered a “top-up” to MoMD’s assistance. This represents around 65 to 70 percent of the total entitlement provided by MoMD and mainly consists of cereals and lentils (50 kg per-household) to complement MoMD’s food basket, or a cash transfer of 11,000 IQD.
  • General food assistance to refugees is now being delivered through MMT. The transition from e-vouchers included successful rounds of SIM card distributions in nine camps, with good coordination between WFP teams, partners, camp management and Financial Service Provider (FSP) teams.
  • In close coordination with the Ministry of Education, preparations are underway to resume School Feeding in October for the new academic year. A Call for Proposals for cooperating partners took place, and recruitment for the new team is also starting.
  • Over 1,000 students graduated from the first cycle of EMPACT digital skills training. They are now enrolled in advanced (Level 2) courses focusing on advanced digital skills and English. Outreach is underway for the second cycle of new students to begin Level 1 classes in August. WFP Iraq’s sub-offices have received a donation of Google Chromebooks, which will be handed over to EMPACT classrooms for participants to use for freelance work from August.
  • As part of the testing phase of the digitalisation of Iraq’s Public Distribution System (PDS) social safety locations in Anbar governorate. The first ePDS distributions took place in Duhok and Najaf, and the second distribution cycle took place in Baghdad.
  • In partnership with Mosul University, WFP Iraq’s Resilience team has begun the “three-pronged approach” (3PA) training for the planning of resilience projects. The 3PA takes into account the nationwide, seasonal/livelihoods and community levels for planning.

(Source: WFP)

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Iraq Humanitarian Fund helps WFP Logistics

The Logistics Cluster, led by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has welcomed a generous contribution of US$860,000 from the Iraq Humanitarian Fund (IHF). The Cluster facilitates the movement of humanitarian supplies including food, medicines and even ambulances on behalf of the entire humanitarian community in Iraq.

“This contribution is perfectly aligned with the objectives of the IHF, to provide timely and flexible humanitarian funding to enable effective emergency response, increase humanitarian access, and strengthen coordination and partnerships among local and international responders,” said Marta Ruedas, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.

With this contribution, the Logistics Cluster will continue to provide coordination and information management support to the humanitarian community. The Logistics Cluster will also continue to facilitate common storage services for humanitarian supplies at three main operational hubs in Baghdad, Dahuk and Erbil, while maintaining a stock of mobile storage units ready to be deployed and installed at short notice.

“The Logistics Cluster plays a critical role in the Iraq context, offering logistics solutions and technical support to humanitarian partners responding to the needs of highly vulnerable displaced families and returnees,” said Sally Haydock, WFP Representative in Iraq. “We thank the IHF, the Humanitarian Coordinator and donors that have made this timely contribution possible.”

Established in 2015, the Iraq Humanitarian Fund supports humanitarian partners, allowing them to respond to the complex and dynamic situation in the country. IHF allocations have been made possible thanks to generous contributions from the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, United States, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Canada and Cyprus.

Since 2014, the IHF has provided US$3.5 million in funding to WFP activities in Iraq, including food assistance to internally displaced people and support for the Food Security, Emergency Telecommunications and Logistics Clusters.

As Iraq emerges from four years of conflict and unrest, the entire humanitarian community is providing critical resilience and recovery support for vulnerable communities after years of hardship, conflict and displacement.

(Source: WFP)

Posted on

Iraq Humanitarian Fund helps WFP Logistics

The Logistics Cluster, led by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has welcomed a generous contribution of US$860,000 from the Iraq Humanitarian Fund (IHF). The Cluster facilitates the movement of humanitarian supplies including food, medicines and even ambulances on behalf of the entire humanitarian community in Iraq.

“This contribution is perfectly aligned with the objectives of the IHF, to provide timely and flexible humanitarian funding to enable effective emergency response, increase humanitarian access, and strengthen coordination and partnerships among local and international responders,” said Marta Ruedas, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.

With this contribution, the Logistics Cluster will continue to provide coordination and information management support to the humanitarian community. The Logistics Cluster will also continue to facilitate common storage services for humanitarian supplies at three main operational hubs in Baghdad, Dahuk and Erbil, while maintaining a stock of mobile storage units ready to be deployed and installed at short notice.

“The Logistics Cluster plays a critical role in the Iraq context, offering logistics solutions and technical support to humanitarian partners responding to the needs of highly vulnerable displaced families and returnees,” said Sally Haydock, WFP Representative in Iraq. “We thank the IHF, the Humanitarian Coordinator and donors that have made this timely contribution possible.”

Established in 2015, the Iraq Humanitarian Fund supports humanitarian partners, allowing them to respond to the complex and dynamic situation in the country. IHF allocations have been made possible thanks to generous contributions from the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, United States, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Canada and Cyprus.

Since 2014, the IHF has provided US$3.5 million in funding to WFP activities in Iraq, including food assistance to internally displaced people and support for the Food Security, Emergency Telecommunications and Logistics Clusters.

As Iraq emerges from four years of conflict and unrest, the entire humanitarian community is providing critical resilience and recovery support for vulnerable communities after years of hardship, conflict and displacement.

(Source: WFP)

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Germany supports WFP Assistance to Conflict-Affected Iraqis

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €4.4 million (US$5.2 million) from the Government of Germany, which will provide cash-based assistance to almost a quarter of a million Iraqis for one month.

Dr. Cyrill Nunn (pictured), Germany’s Ambassador to Iraq, said:

“The German Government greatly appreciates its strong and effective partnership with WFP in Iraq.

“WFP plays a critical role in providing life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people in this country. With this additional contribution to WFP’s Emergency Operation, we reconfirm our commitment to those who are in desperate situations – they will not be forgotten.”

This contribution will allow WFP to increase the scale and reach of cash-based transfers through WFP’s food assistance management system, known as SCOPE. This allows vulnerable Iraqis to buy nutritious foods of their choice from local shops.

Every month, families are notified by text message that their electronic credit allocation of around €15 euros (US$17) per family member has been reloaded. Using a WFP SCOPE card, they can withdraw cash from a local money transfer agency or pay for food in designated stores.

Sally Haydock, WFP Representative and Country Director in Iraq, said:

“We’re grateful to the German Government for its contribution to assist Iraqis still affected by conflict.

“By giving cash assistance to families, we are giving them a broader choice in what they buy while helping strengthen the local food market.”

Since 2014, Germany has contributed €104 million (US$122 million) to WFP’s operations in Iraq. These funds have enabled WFP to provide nutritious food to the most vulnerable Iraqis and Syrian refugees every month.

(Source: WFP)

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South Korea Provides Food for Syrian Refugees in Iraq

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a contribution of US$1.5 million from the Republic of Korea that will provide food assistance for some 30,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for two months.

Song Woong-Yeob (pictured), Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Iraq, said:

“In the aftermath of conflict, the Republic of Korea was once a recipient of food assistance, including from WFP.

“We have now become donors and maintain a strong partnership with WFP in over 30 countries. We sincerely hope this contribution will provide much needed relief to Syrian refugees and their families in Iraq.”

This contribution will allow WFP to provide food assistance to Syrian families that have sought refuge in Iraq. Through electronic food cards that WFP provides to vulnerable people in Iraq, each family member will receive US$19 per month to purchase the food they prefer from local shops.

In addition to allowing for greater choice in their diets, this programme injects cash into the local economy, which benefits shops and producers with increased demand for their products.

Sally Haydock, WFP Representative in Iraq, said:

“Thanks to this generous and timely donation from the Republic of Korea, WFP will continue to address the underlying causes of vulnerability for Syrian refugees in Iraq, increase families’ self-reliance and reduce the need for international assistance in the future.”

Since 2014, the Republic of Korea has provided US$4.8 million in support of WFP food assistance for Syrian refugees in Iraq.

(Source: WFP)

Posted on

South Korea Provides Food for Syrian Refugees in Iraq

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a contribution of US$1.5 million from the Republic of Korea that will provide food assistance for some 30,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for two months.

Song Woong-Yeob (pictured), Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Iraq, said:

“In the aftermath of conflict, the Republic of Korea was once a recipient of food assistance, including from WFP.

“We have now become donors and maintain a strong partnership with WFP in over 30 countries. We sincerely hope this contribution will provide much needed relief to Syrian refugees and their families in Iraq.”

This contribution will allow WFP to provide food assistance to Syrian families that have sought refuge in Iraq. Through electronic food cards that WFP provides to vulnerable people in Iraq, each family member will receive US$19 per month to purchase the food they prefer from local shops.

In addition to allowing for greater choice in their diets, this programme injects cash into the local economy, which benefits shops and producers with increased demand for their products.

Sally Haydock, WFP Representative in Iraq, said:

“Thanks to this generous and timely donation from the Republic of Korea, WFP will continue to address the underlying causes of vulnerability for Syrian refugees in Iraq, increase families’ self-reliance and reduce the need for international assistance in the future.”

Since 2014, the Republic of Korea has provided US$4.8 million in support of WFP food assistance for Syrian refugees in Iraq.

(Source: WFP)