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WFP Iraq Country Brief

WFP Iraq Country Brief, March 2022

In Numbers

  • 710,492 people assisted in March 2022
  • US$ 2.25 million distributed in March 2022 through cash-based transfers
  • 1,686 mt of in-kind assistance distributed
  • US$ 39.4 million six months net funding requirements (April – September 2022)

Operational Updates

  • In March, WFP provided cash and food assistance to 182,152 internally displaced persons (IDPs), 68,419 refugees, and 8,118 people from vulnerable communities through resilience building initiatives. Through the School Feeding Programme, WFP supported 451,803 children.
  • WFP’s resilience-building initiatives continue to provide smallholder farmers with the support they need in order to improve their production and increase crop yields. In Ninewa governorate, WFP provided greenhouses, beehives, cattle and seeds to 325 farmers who utilize the knowledge and expertise shared by WFP to provide a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their families.
  • WFP collaborated with the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources to organize the second Annual Baghdad International Water Conference, to help highlight and provide solutions to the issues of climate change and water scarcity facing Iraq’s people and agriculture. WFP presented its latest data and findings on the issue to support the government of Iraq with its Green Paper to address these serious challenges.
  • In its continued efforts to support Iraq’s youth, and confront climate change, WFP provided a new solar power system for the Career Development Centre at the University of Sulaymaniyah. The solar energy provided now effectively meets the electricity gap during power cuts or shortages, enabling seamless support to youth in need as they take part in the EMPACT (Empowerment in Action) project. Participation in this project supports students with relevant training in English, digital skills and entrepreneurship that enables them to find work opportunities, start small businesses and provide an income.
  • In collaboration with the University of Sulaymaniyah and German creative design platform JOVOTO, WFP celebrated the three young EMPACT graduates Aisha, Mohammed and Kawther, whose designs revolving around the EMPACT project won the first, second and third prizes respectively, in the first design innovation joint competition.
  • For International Women’s Day on 8 March, Urban Livelihoods participant and trainer Nada was invited by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Baghdad to visit from Basra, to participate in a special event to speak about her journey and experience. The impact of WFP’s Urban Livelihoods programme, implemented across southern Iraq and Ninewa, is apparent through star participants such as Nada. She attended the programme, then taught photography skills that she acquired from her training, quickly became a social entrepreneur, leader of a prolific youth creative group, and role model for her contemporaries in Basra.
  • Under the School Feeding Programme funded and coimplemented by the Government of Iraq, WFP organized several workshops and training sessions to further develop the capacity of the Ministry of Education, to be able to successfully implement the programme independently in the future, while WFP continues providing technical and logistics support and expertise. These included three Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions, three capacity building workshops and a Food Quality Control workshop that was delivered in cooperation with WFP’s Regional Bureau.
  • As part of the joint Social Protection Programme with the government and UN partners, WFP held three consultation workshops for more than 80 Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government staff members and key Ministerial participants. The workshops produced a roadmap for establishing a Single Registry based on multi-stakeholder discussions. The workshops also initiated dialogue on the improvement of Iraq’s social protection schemes with special focus on the public distribution system for food rations (PDS). In addition to multiple Ministry representatives, the workshops were attended by UNICEF, ILO, World Bank, GIZ and UNHCR.
  • Representatives of Canada and Germany visited Sharya IDP camp in Duhok and met with a number of displaced families to discuss their situation, reasons that prohibit their return to their homes, and ongoing needs.
  • In light of the rise in food prices as a result of the RussianUkrainian conflict, WFP temporarily increased its cash transfer value to vulnerable IDPs living in Jadaa-5 camp to mitigate the effects and ensure that families are not affected.

The full report can be downloaded here.

(Source: ReliefWeb)

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WHO marks 5 Yrs of Strategic Partnership with USAID in Iraq

WHO marks five years of strategic partnership with USAID in Iraq

The World Health Organization (WHO) marks the five-year milestone of its strategic partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the provision of life-saving and essential healthcare services to vulnerable populations in Iraq.

Over the past five years, USAID has provided WHO Iraq with support totalling US$122 million.

Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative in Iraq, said@

“USAID has been the biggest funding partner of WHO in Iraq over the past five years. We’re proud of this genuine and growing partnership, which helped us expand access to much-needed healthcare services for millions of people in different governorates.

“We greatly value and appreciate this impactful partnership, and we’re exploring new opportunities to deepen this collaborative partnership further.”

Impact of USAID’s contribution

Thanks to the generous contribution from USAID, over 6 million primary health care consultations, including mental and physical rehabilitation services, were provided to Iraqi citizens, while over 1,500 individuals benefited from various capacity building training.

USAID support also provided 56 new ambulances to the Iraqi health system, helping to ensure uninterrupted access to referral services. Funds also went to delivering essential medicines, medical supplies and diagnostic equipment to various conflict-affected governorates to provide comprehensive primary health care services to millions of people, including around 300,000 Syrian refugees and host communities in Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah governorates.

In addition, USAID has contributed to WHO-Iraq’s preparedness and response to COVID-19 by adding up to 800 new COVID-19 vaccination locations, including in challenging humanitarian areas, such as in camps housing refugees and internally displaced persons.

It is also providing equipment and supplies, as well as technical assistance to Iraqi laboratories, clinics, and hospitals for testing, diagnosing, and treating COVID-19. USAID funding is also helping train frontline workers on caring for COVID-19 patients and organizing awareness-raising campaigns.

Heather Schildge, Acting USAID Mission Director to Iraq, said:

“The United States is the leading humanitarian assistance provider in Iraq. We are pleased to celebrate five years of fruitful partnership with the WHO and stand committed to working with the Government of Iraq and other partners to provide critical services to Iraq’s most vulnerable populations.”

(Source: UN)

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UNICEF Iraq gets $26m from Germany for COVID Response

UNICEF receives US$26 Million from the Government of Germany to support the provision of basic services and the COVID-19 response in Iraq

The funding will allow 1 million children and adolescents to have continued access to learning through a combination of approaches such as blended learning and 50,000 vulnerable people to receive critical child protection services

The Government of Germany has contributed $26 million to UNICEF to support UNICEF in its ongoing efforts to assist the Government of Iraq in strengthening its systems and improve access to quality basic services for children and their families in the context of COVID-19. This amount brings the German Government’s total contributions to UNICEF in Iraq to over 200 million dollars since 2015.

The funding includes support for measures addressing the impact of COVID-19 by ensuring communities continue to receive essential water, sanitation, education and child protection preventive and response services. This will include the provision of personal protective equipment to 20,000 healthcare providers and hand sanitizer gel, soap bars and hand hygiene promotion to over 200,000 people.

“This funding is crucial as we support Iraq to increase access to basic services and bolster the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign. UNICEF thanks the Government of Germany for this timely support and partnership to accelerate our efforts to ensure every child in Iraq has access to safe water, education, social and child protection services when required,” said Sheema SenGupta, UNICEF’s Representative in Iraq.

“Children belong to the most vulnerable members of the Iraqi population, especially those living in IDP camps. I was very touched recently by my visit in a UNICEF-built school in Shariya Camp”, said GER Ambassador to Iraq, Martin Jäger. “Germany is funding UNICEF activities to make sure that Iraqi children grow up equipped with what they need most: health and education, because we can only overcome the Covid pandemic together, it is a global challenge where no one is safe until everyone is safe.”

An estimated 1 million children and adolescents will have continued access to learning through a combination of approaches such as blended learning, education TV & online portals and self-learning materials. At least 50,000 people will receive critical child protection services mainly from high-risk areas across Iraq and areas with vulnerable populations, such as camps for the internally displaced and returnee community areas.

In addition, UNICEF will support provision of access to safe, equitable, gender-inclusive water and sanitation services for over 700,000 vulnerable people and their families in targeted governorates, including community-focused hygiene promotion and improvement of WASH services in schools and healthcare facilities.

The project will primarily benefit children and young people, who make up more than half the population of Iraq. As the country marks two years since the pandemic was declared, the number of children and young people estimated to be under the poverty line has doubled. Children and young people are also the most at risk of experiencing poverty, service disruptions in critical basic services like primary health, water sanitation and hygiene, education and increase in rights violations.

UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of Iraq and partners, will continue to work on long-term sustainability of national systems by strengthening national capacity to provide integrated access to basic services with the goal of enabling children to overcome poverty, enjoy their rights and fulfil their full potential.

(Source: UN)

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5K Run to help Iraq’s most Vulnerable Children

From Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra). Re-published with permission by Iraq Business News.

Global 5K run aims to help Iraq’s most vulnerable children

Liz McRae is the Executive Director of the Iraqi Children Foundation and in this interview, Hussein Al-alak speaks with Liz McRae about the work of the ICF, along with finding out more about their upcoming ‘In Their Shoes‘ global 5K run, on May 21st, 2022.

Who are the Iraqi Children Foundation?

The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) intervenes in the lives of orphans and street children who are vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation by criminals, traffickers and extremists. The organization was set up ten years ago by Americans who saw the need to help rebuild Iraq after so many years of conflict.

More than 800,000 children were orphaned as a result of the Iraq War, and the ISIS occupation displaced another 1.3 million. Our vision is that all children in Iraq have a voice, and are empowered to reach their full potential. All our programs have this goal in mind.

We help vulnerable children through programs like “The Hope Buses”; we convert used city buses into colorful, child friendly classrooms. Each bus has two teachers and a social worker, and serves around 50 children with tutoring, nutrition, health care, social services, practical life lessons, community, and fun.

Another program is called “The Street Lawyers”; a team of lawyers who provide legal protection for children who are targeted by criminals and traffickers, abused by employers, or are facing other risks. They also assist children to get their papers so that they can go to school.

You were recently in Iraq for the ICF, can you tell us more about this?

It was a privilege to travel to Iraq this past month, to visit our programs and meet with our partners. It is so important to experience our programs first hand. During this trip, I visited our Hope Buses and Street Lawyers in Baghdad, and our Center for Girls in Mosul.

Something that stood out to me when visiting our projects was how happy and comfortable the children are when they are at the Hope Bus or our Girls Center. The staff are so kind and caring, and the children are all looking healthy and content. The hardest thing to see was the number of children waiting outside the Hope Buses and peering inside, wishing that they could join in the fun and learning.

Will you tell us more about the In Their Shoes 5K?

Our “In Their Shoes” 5K is a fun run which we hold in Washington D.C. each year. It is an opportunity for people from all walks of life to get together and stand in solidarity with the children of Iraq. This year is our 10th Anniversary event, so we hope that many people can join us. It’s a fun family event with face painting, juggling, and snacks. During COVID, we started providing a virtual option for our race as well, so folks can join us from anywhere in the world.

How can people across the United Kingdom get involved?

We hope lots of people from the UK can join us this year – we want to send a message to the world that Iraqi children matter, and that we stand in solidarity with them. Signing up for the race is the best way you can help ICF and these kids – we need help to provide support to so many at-risk children in Iraq.

You can sign up and register as a virtual participant, and we will send you a finishers medal.

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AirSada wins Medevac Contract with JGC in Iraq

By John Lee.

The Turkish-based private jet charter company AirSada has won a contract to supply medical evacuation (medevac) services to Japan’s JGC Corporation in Iraq.

JGC is the main contractor for the major upgrading project at South Refineries Company’s (SRC) Basra refinery.

The contract with AirSada, which runs to September 2025, includes air ambulance and medical treatment services.

It was signed by Mr Tolga Urcu, CEO of AirSada, and Mr Hiroto Ogura,  Project Manager for JGC at SRC Basra.

(Source: AirSada)

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Latest Iraq COVID Travel Guidelines

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) has released its latest vaccination guidelines.

The guidelines state that, from 1st April, Iraqi and foreign travelers above the age of 12 who have received one dose of Johnson & Johnson or two doses of any other vaccine will no longer require evidence of a recent negative PCR test when traveling.

In cases where an individual cannot receive a vaccine, proof of a negative PCR test conducted in the previous 72 hours will be required.

(Source: KRG)

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Rapid Response Team for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

WHO builds capacity of rapid response team in Iraq with a focus on Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever

The World Health Organization (WHO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in Iraq, concluded today a three-day workshop aimed at building the capacity of the country’s rapid response team (RRT) in field investigation and response, with an emphasis on the recent outbreak of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).

The workshop, organized in collaboration with the Government of Japan, targeted 42 participants, including physicians, veterinarians, lab technicians, health workers and zoonotic diseases investigators from 13 Iraqi governorates.

“Rapid response teams constitute a pillar in human security and have contributed to containing outbreaks of epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases in Iraq and beyond. This training, which used CCHF as a case study, will further equip the RRT with knowledge and capacities to control any future outbreaks of this anthropo-zoonotic disease in Iraq and regionally,” said Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative in Iraq.

“We are very grateful for the collaboration with the Government of Japan, which enabled us to conduct this important training workshop and are looking forward to further collaboration to strengthen health security in Iraq. We’re also pleased with the effective cooperation between the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and WHO to tackle this disease,” he added.

During the workshop, experts from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and WHO country office in Iraq discussed the national zoonotic disease preparedness and response plan in the context of One Health.

The team delivered various presentations focused on infectious hazard prevention and preparedness, including rapid risk assessment, case management, risk communication and community engagement, data management, and report writing. Working group exercises followed each of these sessions, with participants divided into multisectoral teams similar to the constitution of RRTs in the field.

The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter. Most cases have occurred among people working in the livestock industry such as agricultural workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.

The disease has been endemic to Iraq since 1979, with few sporadic cases reported across the country. At times, small outbreaks have been reported, with the last outbreak happening in 2021 with 18 cases confirmed in Thi-qar and Ninawa Governorates.

(Source: WHO)

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Iraq Improves Ranking in World Happiness Report

By John Lee.

Iraq has ranked 107th out of 146 countries in the latest World Happiness Report, a small improvement on its ranking of 111th last year.

The report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), uses global survey data to report on how people evaluate their own lives around the world.

Co-author Lara Aknin said:

“Data considered in the World Happiness Report offers a snapshot of how people around the world evaluate their own happiness and some of the latest insights from the science of well-being.

“This information is incredibly powerful for understanding the human condition and how to help people, communities, and countries work toward happier lives.“

Top of the list of happiest countries were:

  1. Finland
  2. Denmark
  3. Iceland
  4. Switzerland
  5. Netherlands

… while at the bottom were:

  1. Botswana
  2. Rwanda
  3. Zimbabwe
  4. Lebanon
  5. Afghanistan

Iran ranked 110th, with Turkey 112th.

The full report can be downloaded here.

(Source: World Happiness Report)

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UNFPA hands over 11 Women’s Centres in Duhok

UNFPA hands over 11 women centres in Duhok to the Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs

UNFPA and its partner Harikar Organisation handed over 11 Women Community Centres to the Directorate of Labour and Social Affairs in Duhok.

The Women Community Centres were first established by UNFPA in 2013 amid the humanitarian crisis, during the war against ISIL. The centres, which provided psychosocial support, case management, life skills activities and awareness sessions to women and girls, were located in 11 camps for refugees (4) and internally displaced persons (7).

The handover took place in presence of Dr Sherzad Hamed, Director General of the Labour and Social Affairs in Duhok, Mr Himyar Abdulmoghni, Deputy Representative of UNFPA in Iraq and Mr Salah Yaseen, Head of Harikar Organisation, in the presence of government and governorate representatives, staff from the Directorate of Labour and Social Affairs and social workers from the Women Community Centres.

Speaking during the ceremony, Dr Hamed, said:

“We are happy to take on these centres to help the women and girls in our community. I thank UNFPA for their partnership and for the ongoing building and strengthening of the capacity of the Directorate’s staff. Our collaboration will ensure we maintain good quality services to all women and girls requiring assistance at these Women Community Centres.”

For his part, Mr Abdulmoghni emphasised that this handover comes as part of  UNFPA transition strategy that was developed in full consultation with all stakeholders to ensure the continuance of gender-based violence and women empowerment related services to women and girls in camps:

“The importance of transitioning these centres from NGO’s management to the Government is to ensure sustainability of the confidential multi-sectoral response and services, including medical, psychosocial and legal services for GBV survivors and confirm the government accountability to the most vulnerable women and girls.”

The Deputy also thanked Harikar Organisation for being a key partner in the provision of quality gender-based violence and reproductive health services to women and girls amid consecutive crises in Iraq since 2013 to date.

In 2022, UNFPA will hand over another 11 Women Community Centres to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in addition to the centres already handed over.

(Source: UN)

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Shvabe starts delivering Medical Equipment to Iraq

By John Lee.

Russia’s Shvabe Holding has transferred the first batches of infrared heaters and multi-functional inhalation anesthesia devices to distributors in Iraq.

The equipment will be used at medical facilities in Baghdad.

The Radiant Heat-BONO heater is used as the primary or additional source of heat for newborns during their resuscitation or super-intensive phototherapy to be performed in perinatal centers, obstetric institutions or research institutes.

The MAIA-01 system is intended for inhalation anesthesia of adults or children over one year during surgeries or artificial lung ventilation.

Shvabe Holding is part of the state-owned Rosteс State Corporation.

(Source: Rostec)

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