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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
IRAQ: NGOs divided over progress in Iraq one year on
BAGHDAD, 24 March 2004 (IRIN) - One year after the US-led war in Iraq, aid agencies are divided about the success of efforts on the ground to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis. Some see tangible results and genuine progress under difficult circumstances while others feel that little has changed to raise the quality of life.
Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), which does mine removal in central Iraq, says it has been able to help people in measurable ways. The NGO, which is partly funded by the Norwegian government, has been in Iraq since April.
"After we have been here a year, we will have achieved things that are measurable and noticeable. When we leave, other agencies will carry on the work," NPA worker Tony Fish told IRIN in Baghdad.
Others praise progress made by Iraqis in rebuilding institutions but lament that poor security is obscuring positive developments. "Progress is being made, but... it takes time," Alexander Christof, a project director at the German-based Architects for People in Need, told IRIN. "It's a pleasure to work with the ministries, but with the decreasing security it's a very tough situation."
An international aid worker, who declined to be named, also recognised some positive developments. The worker said that important ideas were beginning to take hold in Iraqi society, reflected in the push for 25 percent of the seats in the new parliament to be set aside for women. But these things were not enough for Iraqis to forget the dismal infrastructure problems, security fears and lack of jobs, the aid worker said. "These are the things that people measure their lives by; not necessarily intangible things like freedom and democracy."
"What has improved? There is no improvement in electricity at three hours on, three hours off. Take that as a litmus test. What can you see that's tangible?", the aid worker asked rhetorically.
Such an unstable situation has also made the "black [market] business" that flourished during the war still viable, Pascal Marlinge, head of the Italian-based Intersos office in Iraq, told IRIN in Baghdad.
In addition, international agencies have not necessarily been able to provide for all of people's needs due to limited operational capacity, leaving political factions at times to fill the gap, Marlinge said. He points to Kurdish political groups in the north who have offered shelter and food to people thrown out by competing ethnic groups in various disputes over housing and land.
One important factor that has pared back aid agency operations in Iraq is the lack of security. In the week leading up to the first anniversary of the US-led invasion, violence escalated as many had feared. On Monday two Finnish businessmen were shot dead on their way to the Electricity Ministry.
The ongoing instability in the country has led many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to keep a lower profile, driving in local vehicles and moving staff around frequently from office to office. But despite such measures security cannot be guaranteed. Just over a week ago, five aid workers working on a water project in northern Iraq were killed as they drove in Mosul.
Many of the 80 or so international aid agencies operating in Iraq have also relocated their international staff outside Iraq to countries such as Jordan or Kuwait, leaving only local staff on the ground.
"Here, it doesn't matter if you're neutral or not," an aid worker, who declined to be named, told IRIN. "Certain groups here want to carry out certain attacks against the international community."
The UN itself pulled international staff members out of Iraq following the attack on its Baghdad headquarters in August, which killed 23 and injured scores more. However, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said late on Friday in response to a letter from the Iraqi Governing Council that the UN would send a team back to Iraq to help with the transfer of sovereignty later this year.
"I have written to the Security Council and to the Iraqi Governing Council and the CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] advising them that I do intend to send a team back to Baghdad, led by [Special Adviser Lakhdar] Brahimi, to work with the Iraqis on the political transitional arrangements leading to the formation of a government on 30 June," Annan said.
Some aid agencies welcomed the move, saying that it gives some hope that the security situation may be improving. But others were unwilling to comment on this or any other matter relating to security in Iraq, reflecting a reluctance to speak to the media for safety reasons.
Themes: (IRIN) Other
[ENDS]
This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004
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