Fact Sheet #3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 April 2, 2003

• Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated in Iraq since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Government of Iraq (GOI) manipulation of international sanctions. In 1996, the GOI accepted the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program (OFF), after which humanitarian conditions improved.
• Between 1991 and 1996, the U.S. Government provided nearly $794 million in humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Iraq.
• [Where did this figure come from? Just curious. Do we have a figure for total humanitarian assistance to the country as a whole since Gulf war I? Assistance to the whole country, or specifically to IDPs in N Iraq, through 2002? Since 1996, revenues from OFF have provided food, medicine, and other civilian goods to assist vulnerable Iraqis. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan noted in a letter to the U.N. Security Council, that the GOI has ordered and paid for food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies under OFF that have not yet been delivered.
• The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that 16 million Iraqis—approximately 60 percent of the total population—rely solely on food rations distributed through OFF in order to meet household needs.
• On March 19, 2003, coalition forces began military operations in Iraq. As a result of the conflict, the U.N. Secretary General suspended the OFF food distribution system. On March 28, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that allows the U.N. to administer Iraq’s OFF program for 45 days. As the U.N. takes over the OFF program, WFP’s first priority is to contact recently active suppliers able to rapidly provide food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies.

• The United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) conducted a security assessment of Umm Qasr on April 1. The U.N. Security Officer on the assessment reported to the Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) in Kuwait that the hospital does not receive sufficient water and has poor sanitary conditions. There are sufficient quantities of food and water in the city, but distribution is problematic.

• A WFP logistics team plans another assessment to Umm Qasr on April 3 with U.N. Security Officers.

• On April 1, DART members conducted an initial assessment of Al Basrah International Airport (BIA). Initial observations include the following: 1) BIA is a modern facility with significant ground handling equipment in working order; 2) The runway may soon be ready for use by C130 planes; 3) The air traffic control tower is intact and in excellent condition; 4) No electricity is available at this time; and, 5) Initial rough estimates indicate that 1,000 cubic meters of warehouse space may be available.

• A limited supply of water and electricity is now reaching different parts of Al Basrah. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local technicians continue to work on the Wafa' Al-Qaed pumping station outside the city and are attempting to connect the remaining three back-up generators.

• The U.N. Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI) reported on April 1 that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved the delivery of a WFP consignment of 1,000 metric tons (MT) of wheat flour across the Iraqi border. WFP has been distributing food commodities in the three northern governorates of Arbil, Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniya.
  
  
• UNOHCI reports that fuel prices in Arbil are currently stable following the arrival of Iranian fuel to the market in recent days. In Dahuk, WFP conducted comparative price surveys between the pre-conflict period and the past few days, which indicate that kerosene prices have risen by 60 percent, butane prices by 160 percent, and benzene prices by 100 percent. In As Sulaymaniyah, wheat flour prices have risen by 90 percent.
  
  
• A recent Mines Action Group survey identified large, densely laid mine fields along the line between Baghdad-controlled Iraq and the north, specifically near Chamchamal.
  
  
• On April 1, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 16 MT of medical supplies and 6 MT of water purification tablets and educational materials valued at $80,000 entered Iraq en route to Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah.

• According to the U.N. Office for Project Services (UN OPS), as of April 1, approximately 700 families, primarily from As Sulaymaniyah, settled in villages, schools, mosques, old buildings, and governmental establishments in Qaradagh, Jafaran, and Sangaw. In addition, 2,850 families from As Sulaymaniyah settled in Chwarta, Nawparez, and Penjwen. Approximately 592 families from As Sulaymaniyah moved to the Sharbazher-Mawat areas. The majority of IDPs are living with host families, who are becoming increasingly burdened. As many as seven families are being accommodating in some houses. The primary humanitarian concerns affecting IDPs include shortages of medicines, health care services, fuel, and sanitary latrines. The food and water supply is also limited.
  
  
• UN OPS has highlighted reports from local authorities that "thousands" of families have moved from Kifri to adjacent villages in Tilako, Sayedhalil, Sarqala, and Omarbil. Of this total, approximately 150 families are located along the road and need improved shelter, access to potable water and sanitation services, and health care.
  
  
• In addition, 850 families from Chamchamal and Shorsh moved to Aghjalar and surrounding villages and are living with host families and in public buildings. IDPs expect limited food stocks to be depleted within the coming week, and there is a shortage of medicines. Rising fuel prices are resulting in a high incidence of respiratory tract infections among children, as fuel is needed for heating.

• The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reported at the weekly nongovernmental organization (NGO) coordination meeting held in Amman on April 1, the U.N. will not issue identification cards to non-U.N. partners. The U.N. has been in contact with InterAction, a consortium of U.S.-based development and humanitarian organizations, about developing an NGO identification card.

• According to WFP, no extreme food shortages exist in northern Iraq.
  
  
• Through the U.N. Security Council Resolution passed on March 28, WFP will be able to access an estimated $270 million of food contracts in the OFF pipeline. According to WFP, $2.4 million in outstanding food contracts from 1997-1999 are dormant.
  
  
• To address chronic food insecurity issues, WFP has provided supplementary rations targeting 44,000 malnourished children, 41,000 pregnant and lactating mothers, 14,000 hospital patients, and residents of social institutions for the past five years. WFP also supported income-generating activities for 12,000 female-headed households.

• The U.N. Office of the Iraq Program reported that the U.N. identified a humanitarian pipeline of more than $1 billion of priority humanitarian supplies to be delivered over a 45-day period ending May 12. These contracts include 450 contracts for suppliers from 40 countries to provide medicines, health supplies, food, water and sanitation, and other commodities.

• On April 1, UNICEF confirmed that four water tankers delivered a total of 150,000 liters of potable water to Az Zubayr. The deliveries targeted local hospitals and health centers
  
  
• According to UNOHCI on April 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there have been no infectious disease outbreaks in Iraq. Hospitals in central and southern Iraq are coping with any increased workload.

• On March 25, the President submitted a wartime supplemental request to Congress for $74.7 billion, $2.4 billion of which would be used to create a new, flexible account for immediate humanitarian relief, reconstruction support, and to assist in the development of a free-market democracy in Iraq. The total USG commitment of resources for Iraq emergency relief and reconstruction is approximately $3.5 billion (including funding from the Department of State).
  
  
• USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) has made more than $560 million in emergency food assistance available to meet the emergency food needs of the Iraqi population.

• Prior to Coalition military activity in Iraq, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) provided more than $14 million for United Nations and NGO preparedness activities and USAID/OFDA logistics for the emergency response in Iraq. Specifically, USAID/OFDA supported the NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative for Iraq (JNEPI) through Save the Children/US (SCF/US) to facilitate NGO humanitarian assessments in Iraq, as well as the Cuny Center’s contingency planning efforts. USAID/OFDA supported WFP’s efforts in logistics, telecommunications, air transport services, and pre-positioning of food stocks, UNICEF’s procurement of emergency health kits and activities in nutrition, water, and sanitation, and UN OCHA information and coordination efforts.
  
  
• USAID/OFDA pre-positioned emergency relief commodities in three warehouses in Jordan, Kuwait, and UAE. The commodities will be made available for use in Iraq as needed and include 15,170 rolls of plastic sheeting, 265,035 wool blankets, 130,700 10-liter and 5-gallon water containers, 85,618 hygiene kits, 87 water tanks, 8 water treatment units, and 97 WHO medical kits. USAID/OFDA has spent more than $6.3 million to acquire warehouse space, equipment for DART personnel, and for transportation costs.
  
  
• To date, USAID/FFP has provided $55 million to WFP to support planning and preparation efforts to meet the emergency food needs of vulnerable populations in Iraq.

• The State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) provided $15 million to the UNHCR for pre-positioning for 600,000 potential Iraqi refugees and IDPs located at Iraq’s borders. UNHCR is the lead U.N. agency to assist refugees entering Iran, Jordan, and other neighboring countries. UNHCR has positioned non-food items, security and telecommunications equipment, water tankers, waste disposal units, and field staff.

• State/PRM also provided $630,000 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to establish transit camps for third-country nationals fleeing Iraq, and to pre-position supplies for the transportation of refugees and other migrants.

• The United States Government deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the region to assess humanitarian needs and coordinate the emergency relief effort. Sixty DART members are located in Kuwait, Turkey, Jordan, Cyprus, and Qatar and are working closely with U.N. agencies, NGOs, and in coordination with U.S. military Civil Affairs personnel at the HOCs in the region.
  
  
• To date, USAID/OFDA has supported more than $39.5 million in emergency assistance activities: $14 million prior to Coalition military action and more than $25 million since mid-March. In addition to the preparation and prepositioning efforts outlined above, USAID/OFDA has supported quick-impact projects to be implemented through CARE, International Medical Corps (IMC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children (SCF/US), and Mercy Corps, emergency logistical support through AirServ International; and IDP assistance through IOM.
  
  
• USAID/FFP provided an initial 161,000 MT valued at $84 million of emergency food commodities through the Emerson Trust to WFP to meet the food needs of vulnerable Iraqis.
  
  
• In addition, WFP received $200 million from USAID/FFP to procure 324,000 MT of food commodities in the region for distribution in Iraq. USAID/FFP is providing 105,000 MT of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food assistance valued at $91 million to be distributed to food insecure Iraqis.
  
  
• IOM received $200,000 and Development Alternatives, Incorporated (DAI) received $473,253 from USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) to prepare for the implementation of the Iraq Transition Initiative (ITI). ITI will support political stabilization and community recovery activities in post-conflict Iraq by providing immediate, tangible examples of improvement and change. 

• State/PRM contributed $6 million to UNHCR for early emergency response to possible refugee flows from Iraq. This amount is in addition to funds provided for pre-positioning, and brings the total State/PRM contribution to $21 million.
  
  
• State/PRM contributed $10 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support its initial humanitarian response to the crisis in Iraq. The ICRC has maintained a critical presence in Iraq through the onset of hostilities and plays a key role as a neutral provider of protection and relief assistance to conflict victims. The ICRC’s responsibilities in Iraq include protection and assistance to 500,000 IDPs, health interventions and support to local hospitals, water and sanitation services, and other protection responsibilities outlined in the Geneva Conventions.
  
  
• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has received $3 million from State/PRM to support its work with national Red Crescent societies in Iraq and neighboring countries. Outside Iraq, the national Red Crescent societies are UNHCR’s primary implementing partners in providing food and non-food items to refugees in neighboring countries. The IFRC is involved in setting up and managing 10 camps of 250,000 refugees, including field hospitals, mobile clinics, and water units.

• State/PRM also has provided $2 million to IOM to manage transit camps for 70,000 possible third-country nationals (TCNs) fleeing Iraq, and to transport refugees and other migrants during the initial phase of the emergency. To date, IOM has assisted approximately 1,500 third-country nationals in transit camps in Iran, Jordan and Syria. With funds provided for pre-positioning, the total State/PRM contribution to IOM for TCN assistance and transportation is more than $2.6 million.

• To date, the British Department for International Development (DFID) has provided a total of approximately $227 million in response to the current crisis in Iraq. This includes $1.6 million of new funding provided to GOAL to implement primary health initiatives in southern Iraq, BBC World Service Trust to support an emergency radio program, War Child to support emergency bakeries, and MedAir to provide assistance to IDP populations in northern Iraq.
  
  
• On April 2, the Minister for Development Cooperation for the Netherlands announced a contribution of 14.2 million euro ($15.3 million) to the United Nations Consolidated Appeal for Iraq. Dutch assistance will be given to U.N. agencies and the IFRC. In addition, the Netherlands contributed 4 million euro ($4.3 million) to ICRC last week.

*This compilation was drawn from ReliefWeb and may not be comprehensive.

** This total is approximate as the value of donated commodities is not available in some cases.

• The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash donations to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for their activities in the Gulf can be found in the "How Can I Help" section at [www.usaid.gov/iraq].

• USAID encourages cash donations because they: allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance.
  
  
• General information on making donations and volunteering can be found at:
• USAID: www.usaid.gov/iraq -> "How Can I Help?"
• The Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or 703-276-1914
• InterAction: www.interaction.org -> "Guide to Appropriate Giving"
• Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.org.