Iraq: WFP Iraq Country Brief, November & December 2018
In Numbers
6,718 mt of food assistance distributed
US$9.88 m cash-based transfers made
US$58.8 m 6-month (February - July 2019) net funding requirements
516,741 people assisted WFP Iraq in November & December 2018
Operational Updates
• Returns of displaced Iraqis to their areas of origin continue, with more than 4 million returnees and 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) as of 31 December (IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix). Despite the difficulties, 62 percent of IDPs surveyed in camp settings by the REACH Multi Cluster Needs Assessment (MCNA) VI indicated their intention to remain in the camps, due to lack of security, livelihoods opportunities and services in their areas of origin.
• Torrential rainfall affected about 32,000 people in Ninewa and Salah al-Din in November 2018. Several IDP camps, roads and bridges were impacted by severe flooding, leading to a state of emergency being declared by authorities, and concerns about the long-term viability of the Mosul Dam. Following the flooding, WFP Iraq delivered 4,000 Immediate Response Ration parcels to beneficiaries in the affected areas in November.
• On 25 November, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Iran near the border with Iraq. The earthquake was felt throughout Iraq. WFP’s operations were not affected. This was the third earthquake within one year.
• Under the resilience programme in Al Hamdania, 441 people participating in cash-for work activities rehabilitated 130 hectares of olive groves and related irrigation canals in Bashiqa / Bahzani (Ninewa), while 432 people participating in activities under the Al Zab scheme completed the cleaning of 20,406 m3 of dirt from 41km of sub canals and shoulders.
• WFP is partnering with Iraq’s Ministry of Trade, providing technical expertise and support to modernise the Public Distribution System (PDS), aiming to provide more efficient services to citizens, prioritise those most in need, and improve management and efficiency of the PDS operations. While the official launch of the first phase is in January 2019, a trial to identify requirements, test available digital solutions and demonstrate their potential is ongoing.
• A follow up exercise with the Syrian refugees who graduated from the Tech for Food training was completed in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Duhok in December. The results showed that about 20 prercent of the beneficiaries so far had secured a new contract or job as a result of the training.
