UNITED NATIONS/IRAQ: UNITED NATIONS OFFICIALS APPEAL FOR MORE MONEY FOR HUMANITARIAN AID FOR IRAQ

Record ID: 645986

  • Title: UNITED NATIONS/IRAQ: UNITED NATIONS OFFICIALS APPEAL FOR MORE MONEY FOR HUMANITARIAN AID FOR IRAQ
  • Date: 23rd June 2003
  • Summary: (U7) UNITED NATIONS (FILE) (REUTERS) WIDE OF UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 8th July 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: UNITED NATIONS / BAGHDAD, IRAQ
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3T3YUCOD03SVLTGLB6VCEHLVQ
  • Story Text: Widespread looting in Iraq has provoked demand for more humanitarian aid. Officials at the United Nations in New York have appealed for more money to deliver assistance to Iraqis.
    The widespread and destructive looting in much of Iraq since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime has spurred a demand for more humanitarian assistance. At United Nations headquarters, officials launched an appeal to governments to give more money for Iraq.
    While many of the dire assumptions made in planning the U.N. response to post-war needs did not materialize, officials outlined how the conflict and its aftermath have resulted in wide range of urgent humanitarian needs. The U.N. is appealing for an extra $260 million in relief money.
    "Some of these emerging relief needs are related to events that we had not anticipated, such as the widespread lootings and destruction that have occurred after the conflict" said Kenzo Oshiman, Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs.
    The looting and overthrow of the old regime and the slow progress in establishing a new system of government have led to the breakdown in many vital services, said Ramiro Lopes da Silva, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.
    He told delegates, "water, electricity, house infrastructures, neglected for years and further damaged by looting are yet to recover. The heavily centralised control system in place under the regime is now weakened. Decision making and technical capabilities are drastically reduced."
    Officials said U.N.-led humanitarian assistance to Iraq had played a crucial role but would gradually be phased out by the end of the year as Baghdad began meeting its own needs. At the same time, international aid to Iraqi recovery and reconstruction would steadily increase.
    The appeal for $260 million in humanitarian aid represented funding that has yet to be pledged following an emergency U.N. plea first issued on March 28. At that time the U.N. had asked for $2.2 billion, based on advance projections of the impact of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq launched just 10 days earlier.
    To date, $2.03 billion has been funded, but the spending plans have now been updated to reflect actual post-war conditions. For example, while a predicted flood of refugees failed to materialize, funding needs for education and mine removal were underestimated.
    While London and Washington hope to use the proceeds from Iraqi oil sales to pay for much of the reconstruction, the international community will be invited to see what they can do to help pay for the rest.
    Officials said it was not yet clear whether the United States and Britain would ask that part of that money eventually be channelled through their Development Fund.
    Monday's (June 23) session marked the opening phase of a two-day conference set up to offer opportunities to the international community to help rebuild Iraq.
    A group of Iraqi civil servants brought to New York by the United States and Britain -- the occupying powers in post-war Iraq -- were attending the meetings.
    The technocrats outlined the reconstruction needs for Iraq, but seemed keen to play down the problems of looting and appearance of chaos.
    Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the Coalition Provisional Authority, Akila Al Hashimi, told reporters:
    "Looting is something that can happen in every place in the world. What's going on in Iraq is not in the dimension that can affect any U.N donation to Iraq," adding that with the continuing work of mangers at the technical level, many institutions are still functioning.
    The officials could not predict when elections would be held, nor when a functioning Iraqi government would be up and running, but said they were in New York to appeal for donations in both humanitarian aid and also for foreign investment to help get the oil industry up to scratch.
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