24 February 2006
More than $5 Billion in U.S. Development Aid Provided to Iraq
USAID mission director briefs journalists on accomplishments
By David I. McKeeby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Thanks to more than $5 billion in U.S. development assistance, the Iraqi people are enjoying healthier communities, better infrastructure and schools, stronger local governments and a more robust economy, says Dawn Liberi, mission director for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Iraq.
With help from USAID, “Iraqis are really working toward their own future,” Liberi told journalists during a February 24 briefing in Washington.
USAID began working with the Iraqi government, coalition forces and international aid organizations in 2003 to deliver humanitarian assistance to areas affected both by combat and decades of neglect under Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Today, USAID oversees $5.1 billion of the overall $21 billion allotted by the U.S. government for reconstruction in Iraq, she said.
Funding is distributed to more than 12,000 individual Iraqi aid projects across all 18 provinces. These projects are organized and administered at the local level by Iraqi nongovernmental organizations.
“The majority of our programs are actually implemented of, by, and for Iraqis, and that's one of the reasons why we believe they've been successful and will continue to have a lasting impact on the society,” Liberi said.
HEALTHIER FAMILIES
Liberi said USAID has provided more than $113 million for delivery of health care services and humanitarian relief. Among its achievements, Liberi cited:
• Delivering more than 3 million measles vaccinations and 4 million polio vaccinations for children under 5;
• Refurbishing 100 health care centers, equipping 600 clinics with needed supplies and building a new children’s hospital in Basra;
• Providing training and technical assistance for 4,000 Iraqi health care providers; and
• Working with international aid organizations to distribute food, human services and resettlement support for Iraqis displaced by ongoing conflict.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES
Liberi also said USAID has provided more than $2.6 billion in aid to restore essential services and build new infrastructure vital for future economic development, including:
• 42 power grid repair projects to supply more than 1,100 megawatts of electricity to more than 8 million customers;
• 125 projects to provide potable water for more than 7 million Iraqis and sewage treatment services for 6.6 million; and
• 25 projects to build new airports and shipping terminals and seven new bridges.
EDUCATION
USAID has provided $182 million for what Liberi described as locally defined education projects. Highlighting some of the agency’s accomplishments, she said USAID helped Iraq’s Education Ministry to:
• Print and distribute more than 8 million textbooks;
• Train 70,000 teachers; and
• Refurbish 2,949 schools and build 1,237 new schools.
DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE
Iraq’s future economic development depends on the country’s ability to build a strong civil society, the official said.
USAID has provided $811 million in funding for projects to support Iraq’s development of a new constitution and electoral system as well as programs to strengthen local governments and community organizations. Other accomplishments include:
• Distributing more than 700,000 copies of the new Iraqi Constitution and holding 11,472 information sessions to explain the document to more than 325,000 citizens;
• Providing public administration training for most of the newly elected provincial councils members;
• Granting funding for 313 human rights groups; and
• Establishing the Iraq Independent News Agency, with 125 affiliates and independent press outlets throughout the country.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Helping Iraqis generate economic opportunities, particularly outside the energy sector, Liberi said, is key to promoting stability in the near term and ensuring prosperity in the long run. She told reporters that USAID has provided $474 million for projects such as:
• Encouraging agricultural development through restoration of southern marshlands, rebuilding irrigation systems and refurbishing livestock veterinarian clinics;
• Establishing an investment promotion agency which facilitates networking and the sharing of marketing and international pricing information, and already has registered more than 32,000 new businesses; and
• Distributing $35 million in “micro-enterprise” loans for small businesses to expand and generate employment.
Additional information on USAID’s support of Iraqi reconstruction is available on the agency’s Web site.
A transcript of Liberi’s briefing is available on the State Department Foreign Press Center Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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