The US Department of State and US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently issued a fact sheet outlining humanitarian assistance to Iraq. The aid targets food security, internally displaced persons, refugees, health, emergency relief and construction.
On March 19, coalition forces began military operations in Iraq. As a result of the conflict, the UN Secretary General suspended the OFF food distribution system. On March 28, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that allows the administration of Iraq's OFF program for 45 days. As the UN takes over the OFF program, the World Food Program (WFP)'s first priority is to contact recently active food suppliers able to rapidly provide food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies.
Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated in Iraq since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Government of Iraq (GOI) manipulation of international sanctions. In 1996, the GOI accepted the UN Oil-for-Food Program (OFF), after which humanitarian conditions improved.
Between 1991 and 1996, the US Government provided nearly $794 million in humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Iraq. Since 1996, revenues from the UN Oil-for-Food (OFF) Program have provided food, medicine, and other civilian goods to assist vulnerable Iraqis. Under OFF, the GOI has ordered and paid for an estimated $8.9 billion in food medicine, and other humanitarian supplies that have not yet been delivered. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
