Five years on

Five years on from the start of the Second Gulf War, the IR-Iraq team answer our questions regarding the current humanitarian situation, what we are doing to help and why your continued support is needed.

March 20 2008 marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Second Gulf War. What are the main problems facing the Iraqi people at this time?

Armed violence is still the biggest threat facing the Iraqi people. Despite the surge in the Multi-National Forces-Iraq (MNFs-I) during 2007, the level of violence in many of the hotspot areas is still high. Since the beginning of the war in 2003, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed. Conflict and criminality have also created hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans. Sectarian violence since February 2006 has forced 1.26 million people to flee their homes and become internally displaced inside Iraq (adding this to the already existing 1.2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) brings the total number of IDPs to more than 2.4 million). This is in addition to another 2 million Iraqis externally displaced in neighbouring countries, mainly Syria and Jordan.

More important are the failing social services and difficulties accessing basic services. More than 60 percent of the population in Iraq is cut off from essential services. The absent rule of law and increasing criminality result in fear which prevents some families from accessing services such as schools and hospitals, and professionals from providing them. Unemployment is also prevalent. It has reached more than 50 percent in some areas. In the meantime, it is getting more and more difficult to find qualified and experienced staff in different fields because of the massive brain drain that took place.

Moreover, there are more than 4 million Iraqis who are food insecure. Many more are living in poverty and are increasingly threatened by malnutrition and diseases such as cholera.

In short, after 5 years of war, Iraq is still facing a burgeoning humanitarian crisis.

How do the problems differ from this time five years ago?
Sectarian violence, which spread like wildfire in Iraq post the Samarra bombings in February 2006, was a turning point in the history of contemporary Iraq. Before that date, there were signs of hope that there may be national reconciliation; that reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts would improve the living conditions of the Iraqi people. However, none of this has been realised up till now. On the contrary, the quality of life of the ordinary Iraqis is deteriorating; poverty and deprivation are increasing; and insecurity is still a threat.

How is IR helping? What kind of projects are we involved in?
As the humanitarian crisis in Iraq is still persisting, IR Iraq will continue its emergency relief operations and expand them in 2008 to cover 25-30,000 IDP families, IDP returnees and vulnerable families, including women heads of households, elderly families, families with low incomes and those living below the poverty line estimated at USD 1 a day.

IR-Iraq is mainly involved in emergency relief projects providing food and non-food items (NFIs) to IDPs and returnees. This is in addition to its orphan’s welfare programme and the classical seasonal projects of Ramadan and Qurbani.

IR-Iraq is aiming to continue its development-oriented projects and activities that started in 2007 but stopped due to lack of funding, such as raising awareness of the hazards of illicit drugs and combating sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

How does that compare to what we were doing this time five years ago?
The humanitarian crisis is still ongoing. Our emergency relief operations are therefore still continuing. However, now, the lines are blurred between humanitarian aid work and other 'humanitarian' work carried out by armed militias, non-state armed groups, the private sector, and other actors. This is making it more difficult for the genuine humanitarian actors to work while maintaining their neutrality and impartiality.

Five years ago, there was abundant funding, but little in the way of accountability and transparency measures. Corruption and embezzlement of aid funds have made donors reluctant to disburse funds as freely in the past. Iraq is also thought of as a rich country. Funds directly allocated to NGOs for rehabilitation efforts have become very scarce and this is affecting IR-Iraq's operations negatively.

Is there anything that sets IR Iraq and its work apart from other NGO’s working in the country?
IR-Iraq is acknowledged for working in many of the hotspot areas in Iraq, especially in the central governorates of Anbar, Baghdad, Salah Al-Din and Diyala. IR-Iraq's work has been ongoing since 2003 to the present, whereas many INGOs left the country after the bombing of the UN premises in August 2003. Moreover, we are acknowledged for our hard work and commitment.

We hear of aid workers in Iraq being kidnapped and even murdered. How does IR ensure that the safety of its staff is not compromised?
First of all, it is through Allah's Divine Providence and Care that the safety of IR staff is maintained. In addition, we take all the necessary security precautions in terms of security of personnel, vehicles, buildings, etc. When the security situation deteriorates to a considerable extent, we sometimes resort to closing the office temporarily, as we did in summer of 2006.

In the field, we rely on focal points or ‘gate-keepers’ who have good connections with the local communities. They facilitate the entry of our staff members to undertake the different activities and ensure their safety and security. IR-Iraq staff maintains good relations with all the different stakeholders including the local authorities, non-state actors, local leaders and above all the communities which we serve.

What would you say to potential donors regarding the current humanitarian situation and why their help is still needed?
We would like to emphasise that the humanitarian imperative should come first. Humanitarian aid agencies have a duty to fulfil towards the people of Iraq. Iraqis are suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis and they need the concerted efforts of the international community to relieve this suffering.

The humanitarian space should be opened widely to help the people of Iraq. Iraqi families are continuing to face daily challenges to their lives and livelihoods. We call on all our donors and philanthropists to address the Iraqis humanitarian needs rapidly to enable them to recover and rebuild their shattered lives and communities before it is too late.