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| Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. Photo/UN/DPI/Eskinder Debebe
| The United Nations has been making a sustained and robust effort to respond to the humanitarian needs of the civilian population in Iraq. Since 30 March 2003, more than 800,000 metric tonnes of food have been dispatched to the country, which enabled the Iraqi Ministry of Trade to resume the vital food ration system on 1 June. An average of 3.5 million litres of water per day is being tankered to hospitals, health centres and communities in the south and the Baghdad area. Basic medicines, vaccines and health supplies have been delivered to facilities throughout the country.
UN agencies have also helped repair water, sanitation and power facilities, as well as provided education supplies to schools. In supporting these essential services, they have worked closely with key humanitarian partners, particularly the International Committee of the Red Cross and non-governmental organizations with operational capacity on the ground.
The conflict and its aftermath have resulted in a widespread breakdown of essential services, severely affecting the population, particularly the two thirds of Iraqis living in urban areas. Initial assessments by the United Nations found desperate conditions in many rural communities in the south and centre of the country.
Nevertheless, the humanitarian situation now appears to be gradually stabilizing, and if this trend continues, it is anticipated that the great majority of humanitarian assistance activities could be phased out by the end of this year, according to Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. "This means that we have to start planning the transition to longer-term reconstruction activities now. I would say that we are already off to a very good start in this respect. The humanitarian community is working closely with the UN Development Group in planning the sectoral needs assessments that will take place over the summer", he said at the 23 June launching of the revised Humanitarian Appeal for Iraq.
The phasing out of humanitarian assistance and a successful transition will require continued strong support from donors, Mr. Oshima said. Generous donor support and more than $1 billion in resources from the Oil-for-Food Programme had already fully funded for the food aid requirements. However, assistance related to non-anticipated events, such as the widespread looting and emergency repairs to water and sewage systems, added to existing needs in such areas as education, mine clearance and programmes in support of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons. The revised appeal was the second largest inter-agency appeal, after that for Afghanistan, Mr. Oshima said.
At the launch, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Ramiro Lopez da Silva said that even before the conflict in March, Iraq was a country in distress, owing to years of sanctions, wars and a repressive Government. During the active phase of conflict, damage to the infrastructure had been relatively light, but the power vacuum created by the end of the regime and the subsequent lawlessness, had rendered the situation challenging. Coalition military personnel had proven to be willing and cooperative interlocutors for United Nations agencies, but there was no substitute for civil administration and the establishment of a local presence.
The revised Humanitarian Appeal for Iraq presents the net requirements of the United Nations over the next six months and specifies requirements for an additional $259 million for the United Nations system to ensure that it can carry out its assistance activities in the country until the end of the year. The appeal document contains an exhaustive account of the prevailing humanitarian conditions in Iraq and draws on data obtained from over 1,000 rapid assessments.
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