02 April 2003
U.S. to Issue Daily Updates of Humanitarian Aid in Iraq
(Will cover various regions in country, sectors) (1530) The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) April 1 issued the second of what USAID said will be daily fact sheets with updates about humanitarian assistance in Iraq. The fact sheets may be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/fsheets.html. Note: The following terms are used in the text: ANE: Bureau for Asia and the Near East HOC: Humanitarian Operations Center ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross IDP: internally displaced person IOM: International Organization for Migration IRC: International Rescue Committee JNEPI: Emergency Preparedness Initiative for Iraq MT: metric tons NGO: nongovernmental organization OFDA: Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance OFF: Oil-for-Food Program SCF/US: Save the Children/US UNICEF: U.N. Children's Fund UNHCR: U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees UN OCHA: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' UN OPS: U.N. Office for Project Services UNSECOORD: U.N. Security Coordinator USAID: U.S. Agency for International Development WFP: World Food Program WHO: World Health Organization WSM: wheat-soya-milk blend Following are excerpts from the second daily fact sheet: (begin text) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Iraq --- Humanitarian Assistance Fact Sheet #2, Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 April 1, 2003 Umm Qasr On April 1, the Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) conducted a security assessment of Umm Qasr. If Umm Qasr is declared a permissive environment, in accordance with U.N. guidelines, U.N. personnel will be permitted to enter the southern port town. If no U.N. personnel enter within 48 hours of the declaration, another security assessment must be conducted. According to the Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) in Kuwait, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-contracted convoys that left Kuwait on March 30 to provide potable water and water bladders to Umm Qasr, Safwan, and Az Zubayr experienced many difficulties. The water tankers were to fill water bladders in each town every few days. Three of the 13 contracted tankers successfully reached Umm Qasr, but the local population prevented the workers from filling the bladders. As a result, on March 31, UNICEF temporarily suspended the water tanker program. Al Basrah On April 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that the situation in Al Basrah remains tense, as fighting continues around the town. Northern Iraq On March 29, the World Food Program (WFP) re-supplied warehouses in Dahuk with three trucks of wheat-soya-milk blend (WSM) that were held at the Turkish border pending the passage of the U.N. resolution temporarily restoring the OFF program. The OFF-funded WSM will be used by WFP's nutritional feeding program in Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, and Dahuk. Since these three northern governorates did not receive the two-month ration of wheat flour distributed throughout Iraq prior to the conflict, WFP plans to provide an additional 1,000 metric tons (MT) of flour to Dahuk, 2, 000 MT to Arbil and 3,000 MT to As Sulaymaniyah. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UN OPS) continues to provide kerosene to 279 internally displaced person (IDP) families in 13 schools in Soran. The majority of the IDPs in Arbil and Soran returned home. The UN OPS camp in Delizian is ready to receive IDPs, but local authorities have not yet transferred any IDPs to Delizian. In As Sulaymaniyah governorate, local authorities have registered 258 families in Bazyan who fled Kirkuk before the checkpoints closed. In addition, IOM has registered 514 IDP families, or approximately 3,000 people, in Aghjalar, Qaradagh-Sangaw, and Darbandikhan-Kalar districts. In Dahuk governorate, UN OPS plans to distribute potable water to 122 families in Mangeshke sub-district who have been displaced from within Dahuk. In Bamarne, an UN OPS assessment revealed that local health center resources have been strained due to increases in respiratory problems, food poisoning, diarrhea, allergic skin disease, chicken pox, and mumps. UN OPS is coordinating with UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO), local agencies, and the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Peace Winds Japan to contribute health assistance. According to WFP on April 1, WFP has distributed nearly 5,000 MT of food since the beginning of the conflict in northern Iraq including more than 2,000 MT of rice and more than 1,600 MT of sugar. UNICEF confirmed that no confirmed cases of cholera have occurred in As Sulaymaniyah as of March 31. Current Humanitarian Situation by Sector Internally Displaced Persons UN OPS registered 5,172 arrivals in northern Iraq who fled GOI territory between March 13 and 31. Refugees To date, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates indicate that 200 Iraqi refugees have sought refuge in Jordan. On April 2, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) plans to facilitate the return of 119 Sudanese migrant workers who fled to Syria from Iraq on March 31. During the past week, IOM assisted the return of an additional 50 Africans to Morocco, Sudan, and Egypt. Since March 30, UNHCR has issued 2,663 temporary protection documents in Syria to Iraqi nationals believed to have left Iraq prior to the current conflict. The temporary protection certificates, under the UNHCR mandate, protect the bearer from being returned to Iraq from Syria. No Iraqis have requested food or accommodations from UNHCR. According to UNHCR, four camps in Iran's western provinces of Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and Ilam will have an initial capacity for 60,000 refugees. Six additional sites have been cleared of land mines and leveled, should supplementary capacity be required. UNHCR staff frequently travel along the Iran-Iraq border to evaluate the status of displaced Iraqis along the border. Iranian authorities and humanitarian assistance workers across the border in Iraq report that the populations have not attempted to cross into Iran. Health On April 1, WHO reported that medical stocks in central and southern Iraq are relatively sufficient. WHO reported that the water shortage is the most serious concern. The hospitals in Samarra, Najaf, and Nassiria may be seriously affected by the lack of water. There are no reports of any infectious diseases outbreaks anywhere in the country. In the north, WHO provided medicines and supplies to 12 health centers in Koya district, two hospitals in the city of As Sulaymaniyah, and 27 rural health centers. WHO distributed fuel tanks to seven hospitals on April 1 and is purchasing fuel for some hospitals on the local market in response to local fuel shortages. On April 1, WHO reported that five cholera kits and five trauma kits have arrived in Kuwait, which will be moved into Iraq as soon as they are needed. Another five cholera kits and five trauma kits delivered to Amman during the past few days will also be moved to Iraq as soon as possible. Pre-Positioning 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 the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' (UN OCHA) information and coordination efforts. Emergency Relief The United States Government deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the region to assess humanitarian needs and coordinate the emergency relief effort. Nearly 60 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 Humanitarian Operations Centers (HOC) in the region. To date, USAID/OFDA 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 supported quick-impact projects through CARE, 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 $94 million to be distributed to food insecure Iraqis. Reconstruction To date, USAID's Bureau for Asia and the Near East (USAID/ANE) has provided a total of $22.8 million for reconstruction activities in Iraq. Of this total, UNICEF and WHO received $18 million to address a variety of health, water and sanitation needs. Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) received $4.8 million to assess and manage the Umm Qasr port. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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