Iraq: Research Terms of Reference - Secondary Analysis of Market and Price Data for COVID-19 IRQ2010 (30/04/2020 Version 1)
Rationale
In February 2020, Iraq reported its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. As of May 7, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2,479 cases had been recorded in Iraq, with 782 cases still considered active.5 Cases have been reported across all of Iraq’s governorates, with the actual caseload expected to be far higher, owing to limited testing and reporting. With approximately 288,805 refugees and 1,399,170 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reportedly living within Iraq, the potential impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations is high.6 With this in mind, many organizations are seeking information to inform strategic decisions in relation to new and existing cash programming for populations of concern. This includes data related to price fluctuations, changes in supply chains, and changes in local market functionality.
To inform this information need, the Cash Working Group (CWG), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Cash Consortium for Iraq (CCI) are all currently conducting price and market data collection activities. In consultation with the CWG, some knowledge gaps have been identified within the data which is currently being disseminated. In order to address some of these gaps while also avoiding further duplication of efforts, REACH will conduct secondary analysis using data already collected and made available by WFP and CCI. This secondary analysis is designed to complement existing products currently being produced, with the aim of helping to further inform cash actors within Iraq about COVIDrelated changes which may impact their cash and voucher assistance programming.
