In Numbers
400,782 people assisted in August 2019
1,953.7 mt of food assistance distributed
USD 3.69 million cash-based transfers made
USD 51.3 million six months (October 2019 – WFP March 2020) net funding requirements
Operational Updates
• In August, WFP delivered food assistance to 400,782 people in 9 governorates, reaching 87 percent of the monthly target of 462,646 people. Some delays were experienced because of the Eid holidays and sudden changes in the Joint Monitoring and Coordination Center (JCMC) clearance process for food transport.
• Since 23 August, Ninewa governorate authorities have begun relocating IDPs who are not from Ninewa to their governorates of origin, often with little notice or apparent planning. The situation on the ground is fluid, and reported numbers fluctuate, but approximately 300 families (an estimated 1600 people) have been returned from Hamam Al Alil,
Salamiyah and Nimrud camps in Ninewa to locations in Anbar, Kirkuk and Salah al-Din governorates. In response, WFP is moving Family Food Rations (FFRs) for its next distribution cycle to those areas to support the transferred families.
• WFP is also prepositioning Immediate Response Rations (IRRs) in Anbar, Kirkuk and Salah al-Din, and coordinating with the Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MoMD) and other partners to ensure that potential gaps in coverage are filled. WFP has held off distributions to the transferred families until September, as some NGOs delivered food rations to them in late August.
• WFP Iraq is continuing to coordinate with MoMD on meeting the food needs of IDPs. From March until July, more than 45 percent of WFP’s caseload received a “top up” to complement the government’s assistance.
This represented 65 to 70 percent of WFP’s usual food basket and has resulted in a cash saving of some USD 2.3 million or the equivalent of 1,900 mt.
• Communication with Communities (CwC) on the transition from food to cash assistance is ongoing. WFP plans to transition to 100 percent cash assistance by the end of the year.
• As part of the testing phase of the digitalisation of Iraq’s social safety net, the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Iraqi Minister of Trade Mohammed Hashem Al-Ani officially launched iris scanning verification.
Citizens now have the possibility to have their iris scanned as a method of authentication, when they collect their food rations. The citizens have reacted positively to iris scanning as a convenient method of capturing and authenticating their biometric data. The iris scanning roll-out will now be expanded to AlMuthana and Thi-Qar governorates, and Sadr city in Baghdad.
• Preparations are ongoing to resume School Feeding for the new academic year in October. Cooperating partners have been shortlisted, and recruitment of the new team is ongoing.