UN Humanitarian Briefing, Baghdad

26 June

Adnan JARRAR Spokesperson for UNOHCI

Launching the UN Revised Humanitarian Appeal For Iraq
The revised inter-agency humanitarian appeals for Iraq, which was launched Monday at the United Nations Headquarters requests a total of $2.2 billion to provide for humanitarian assistance to the Iraqis and for emergency rehabilitation in the country. It covers the revised requirements for the period from 1 April to 31 December 2003.

More than $1.5 billion are allocated for food requirements and $700.7 million for non-food requirement. About $2 billion (88%) have been made available ($1.1 billion from the Oil-For-Food-Program and approximately $900 million in donors contribution).

Some $259 million (12%) are still needed to make up for the humanitarian deficit (non-food requirements)

Non-food requirements cover the following sectors: health and nutrition, water and sanitation, refugees, IDPs and TCNs, infrastructure rehabilitation, shelter, mine action, emergency food security, education, human Rights, security and coordination and support services.

Major Donors are USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, EU, and Germany.

Security Situation
Security remains a source of concern to the United Nations. In Baghdad, ongoing unrest and theft at Al Hurriya warehouse forced WFP to temporarily withdraw its presence until the situation is stabilized. The CPA is working with WFP to resolve this issue. On 19 June an organized crowd attacked a convoy transporting WFP food at Safwan (Basrah). A vehicle positioned in front of the convoy obliged the trucks to slow down while a crowd threw stones at drivers and stole 390 bags of wheat flour. This is the fifth convoy transporting WFP food to be attacked in the area since the food distribution started.

A gun battle took place on 22 June at Kimadia warehouse No.1 in Baghdad. The same day, an explosion - reportedly an act of sabotage - damaged the gas pipeline north of Baghdad, which supplies power stations.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
Norwegian Refugees Council, with the assistance of WFP observers, completed assessing/monitoring all known IDP sites in Kirkuk City. Assessments indicated that the water, sanitation and health situations at the sites are in poor condition. These sites currently hold 1,233 families, out of which, 50 are Arab. A total of 290 families are urban poor and are originally from Kirkuk. Interviews with the families suggest that, despite poor living conditions, most are willing to stay in the places they have occupied until the time comes for their return.

UNDP completed a needs assessment of the IDPs living for the last twelve years in the five former prisons built to accommodate Iranian war soldiers in Ninewa Governorate. There is an average of 700 families in each facility who need access to education and sources of income. UNDP assistance is under consideration, especially for improving the sanitation conditions of the site. Many of these IDPs have expressed interest in reintegration, an option that UNDP intends to further investigate.

Oil For Food Programme (OFFP) Update
Over 480,000MT of wheat/flour, sugar and rice procured under the OFFP has been delivered to Baghdad, Erbil, Hilla, Ba'aquba, Mosul, Amara, Basrah and Nassriyah by WFP. Various other commodities worth over USD30 million have been also delivered to Iraq, mainly by WFP, FAO, UNICEF and WHO.

No further priority contracts will be accepted by the Office of Iraq Programme (OIP) unless they have been agreed upon by the Authority and the sectoral lead UN agencies. OIP will continue to accept and process amendments from the agencies on the 484 confirmed priority contracts.

Discussion between the UN and the CPA on the phasing out of the OFFP is ongoing.

Barry Came Spokesman for FAO Baghdad

FAO, in cooperation with the Coalition Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, has finalized plans for the upcoming winter grain crop. It's likely to be a crucial crop since it marks the transition of Iraqi agricultural from the old system to the new one that is emerging. The winter crop, planted in October and November and harvested next spring, is composed mainly of wheat and barley. At the moment, most of the signs are encouraging. FAO estimates that Iraq's farmers this coming autumn will be planting 1.8 million hectares of wheat and 830,000 hectares of barley, which falls well within the annual average of somewhere between 2.5 and 3 million hectares. To nourish that crop, Iraqi farmers are likely going to require about 1 million tons of fertilizers, mostly inexpensive urea but also more costly compounds like diammonium phosphates, or DAP. Most farmers will be acquiring those fertilizers on the open market but to accommodate those in need FAO is planning to supply 40,000 tons of DAP to the most vulnerable in the sector. The agency is also exploring the possibilities of establishing a similar program to supply pesticides to farmers in need.

On other fronts, FAO has collected so far 3,500 metric tons of barley in connection with the program that began June 1, where Oil-for-Food funds have been earmarked for the "last resort" purchase of barley when farmers cannot market their crops elsewhere. As most of you know, WFP is purchasing wheat crops under the same program. While it is still too early to offer any predictions, the fact that FAO has so far only collected rather minimal amounts of barley may well be a good sign, indicating that farmers have been able to market their crops for better prices elsewhere.