The international community and a Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) delegation that includes senior Iraqi bureaucrats began moving toward a new era of assistance for Iraq June
23, 2003, with a session to prepare for a reconstruction conference to be held later in the year.
"Today in a sense we turn another page in the story of Iraq," said Mark Malloch Brown, administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP), opening the so-called "Iraq reconstruction meeting."
"Yesterday was the story of an extraordinarily generous humanitarian response," he noted. "Today we engage in the more difficult business of reconstruction and coming together around a common commitment to helping the people of Iraq back on their feet."
On June 23, the UN sponsored a donor's conference launching a humanitarian appeal in an effort to raise an additional $259 million to allow the international organization to help with emergency projects through the end of the year. The UN made an initial appeal for $2.2 billion at the end of the war. But the planned projects do not take into account reconstruction needs.
Malloch Brown said the goal "is to plan a process of assessment, of understanding the reconstruction challenges Iraq faces in order to come together later around a formal, high-level ministerial reconstruction conference" to be held in October.
The presence in the delegation of 12 Iraqi experts from several ministries shows that Iraq wants to become an active player in the international community, said Akila Al-Hashimi, spokesperson for the Coalition Provisional Authority delegation.
The Iraq team prepared documents for the meeting outlining the county's needs in agriculture, irrigation, trade, communication, higher education, health, and youth programs. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
