IRAQ: Boost for aid, reconstruction as three-year deal signed with UN

Photo: DVIC

Sewage in the streets of Ghazaliya. Iraq's poor public services are in desperate need of funding

BAGHDAD, 14 August 2008 (IRIN) - The Iraqi government and the UN have signed a three-year cooperation agreement to support Iraq's reconstruction, development and humanitarian needs, the UN Mission for Assisting Iraq (UNAMI) said on 13 August.

[Read this report in Arabic]

The Iraqi government hailed the UN Assistance Strategy for Iraq 2008-2010 as an "important step in Iraq's recovery process", while the UN described it as a "landmark… the first of its kind to be adopted in the country since the 1990s".

"The Strategy signals a real moment of opportunity in Iraq, with greater stability, a clear will to recover, a growing UN presence and better access to many areas," David Shearer, deputy special representative of the Secretary-General and the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said in the statement.

"We will now be able to consolidate achievements and shift focus - helping Iraq to mobilise its substantial capacity and resources, while we work to meet outstanding humanitarian needs," said Shearer who signed the agreement with Ali Baban, Iraq's planning minister.

How the agreement will be funded

According to the statement, the agreement will be funded through three primary mechanisms to achieve its key economic and social goals: substantial cost-sharing by Iraq's government; international support through the Iraq Trust Fund; and the Humanitarian Appeal.

This represents an important step in Iraq’s recovery process. It brings the whole UN organisation together in partnership with Iraq and its people, to reduce poverty, foster growth and consolidate democracy in our country.

The agreement contains development and humanitarian solutions for better essential social services such as education and water, and protection for highly vulnerable groups, the statement said.

It will focus on creating more jobs by boosting the country's private sector and building stronger and more accountable systems for governance.

"This represents an important step in Iraq’s recovery process," said Minister Baban at the ceremony in Baghdad. “It brings the whole UN organisation together in partnership with Iraq and its people, to reduce poverty, foster growth and consolidate democracy in our country.”

“Disastrous” situation despite oil revenues

Basil al-Azawi, head of the Baghdad-based Commission for Civil Society Enterprises, an umbrella group of over 1,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), said "Iraq's situation is a disastrous one despite the soaring oil revenues."

"All Iraqis are going through a very deteriorated humanitarian situation with poor public services such as drinking water, sewage networks and electricity, coupled with damage to their environment," al-Azawi told IRIN.

"What has been offered so far by the Iraqi government and the international community is only simple help, and meets no more than 2 percent of real needs, in our view,” he said, adding that the Iraqi government and international community had disregarded these needs.

By no means all Iraqis are enthusiastic about this new agreement: "We have heard about… meetings inside and outside Iraq resulting in tens or hundreds of agreements with millions and billions of dollars to help Iraqis, but we haven’t seen any improvement in our life," said Hamza Salih, a 35-year-old taxi driver said.

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