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Baghdad, February 8, 2021: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank are partnering on gathering key data on the impacts of COVID-19 on households, including people who are displaced, in camps, and those who have returned to their areas, as well as host communities.

The surveys and analysis use WFPs mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) system; going beyond food insecurity and regularly collecting vital information on labor markets, access to health services and child education, providing up-to-date snapshots of peoples socio-economic status on the ground during the pandemic. Beside collaborating on the design of the study, the World Bank have contributed financially to sustain the data collection.

Iraqs multifaceted crisis has severely impacted the livelihoods of the Iraqi people, said World Bank Iraq Representative Ramzi Neman. The continuation of this study will provide a better understanding of the socio-economic impact of the crisis on the living conditions of households and thus better inform social protection programs aimed at bringing immediate relief to the most vulnerable.

With ongoing economic pressures and the resulting devaluation of the Iraqi currency, prices of some essential food items have risen, and families are further impacted. The research is being used for multiple purposes and provide the government, humanitarian and development communities with information to allow for evidence-based decisions on their pandemic response and support for the most vulnerable families. Additionally, the study supports a sustainable system to help monitor socio-economic changes and household needs.

Once analyzed, the data and findings will also form the basis of key bulletins and reports, such as the ongoing series published by WFP and the World Bank in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

WFP thanks the World Bank for its generous contribution towards this important research partnership, which is supporting informed planning and decision-making by key actors in Iraq, said WFP Iraq Representative Abdirahman Meygag. Knowing more means being able to do more and do it right. Together our work can help vulnerable families in the most effective way possible.

WFP and the World Bank both continue to work with the government on social protection efforts as well as the design of major reforms in the sector, to best meet families needs now and in the long-term.

Download WFPs latest data at: https://dataviz.vam.wfp.org/Dashboards/Hunger-Snapshots-Countries

For more information please contact:

Sharon Rapose, WFP Erbil, +964 780 915 0962, sharon.rapose@wfp.org

Nabeel Darweesh, The World Bank Amman, +962 798 277 215, ndarweesh@worldbankgroup.org

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WFP and the World Bank partner on socio-economic research in Iraq [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq - ReliefWeb

The new Biden Administration has largely been focused on fulfilling its election promises in its first month in power. After reversing an extensive list of Trump policies via executive orders, Biden is now focusing on the Middle East. In stark contrast to his predecessor, Joe Bidens administration is taking a reserved and diplomatic approach towards the ongoing crisis in the Middle East region. While the new administration is yet to fully address Iranian Sanctions or the JCPOA-agreement, it has stepped up the pressure on some Arab countries by temporarily blocking U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In yesterdays historic speech, Biden addressed U.S. military support for the Saudi-led anti-Houthi alliance currently fighting in Yemen. International media has been largely focused on the perceived hard-line position taken by Biden.

By removing full-scale offensive military support for Saudi forces, Washington seems to be pushing for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, in which Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others are fighting a proxy war against the Iranian supported Houthi forces. Diplomatic sources indicate that the move is a "routine administrative action", noting that it was standard for incoming administrations to review large arms deals initiated by outgoing administrations. Still, Bidens moves are not going to go down very well in the respective Arab Gulf capitals. Other major players, such as Egypt, Israel, and Jordan will be watching Bidens moves carefully in the coming months. Among the sales that have been put on hold is a massive $23-billion (19-billion) deal to supply the UAE with 50 Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets. The deal was made in the final days of the Trump presidency, after the November 6 election. It remains unclear whether or not other Trump arms deals are also going to be targeted, such as the December 29, 2020 approved potential sale of 3,000 precision-guided missiles, worth as much as $290 million, to Saudi Arabia.

The reaction from Arab governments to yesterdays Biden speech have been very positive, as was expected. None of the countries involved are willing to put their relationship with Washington at risk. Saudi Arabias Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al Jubeir, stated that Bidens historic speech confirms Americas commitment to work with friends and allies on resolving conflicts. Hi words carried a tacit but clear undertone that Washington not forget the larger picture, which includes both Iran and Iraq, and focuses on both geopolitics and energy.

In the coming weeks and months, the Biden Administration will be focusing on the JCPOA agreement and its constraints. While Democrats and European nations may be hoping for a fast revamp of the Iran deal, there are significant hurdles in the way of achieving such a feat. First of all, the former JCPOA agreement has already been attacked by several European nations due to a lack of control mechanisms. Secondly, Irans growing missile capabilities, which have already been used in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, are a major concern for any potential JCPOA signatories. Thirdly, Irans current posture with regards to nuclear enrichment will discourage Washington, France, and Germany from coming to the table. While none of these issues are particularly new, Bidens position on all of them remains unclear, and will likely depend on his broader foreign policy in the Middle East.

The Biden Administrations role and relationship with the Arab Gulf states is yet to be established. The postponement of arms deliveries and the blockage of so-called offensive arms to Saudi Arabia, and potentially others, could be setting the scene for a potential political crisis in the region. If this relative aggression towards Arab Gulf nations is combined with a more positive attitude towards Iran, without adressing the concerns of Saudi Arabia-UAE-Israel and Egypt, then Washington will risk losing its key allies in the region. Since the Obama era, the traditionally friendly security and economic relationships between Washington and the GCC region have been severely weakened. A new perceived pro-Iranian and anti-Arab strategy could lead to Washington coming under fire in the Middle East.

It is not only U.S. interests in the region that could be threatened by a new course of action in the Middle East, but also the U.S. and European economies. A new pro-Iranian vision of the Middle East could give birth in the GCC arena to a willingness to increase already growing cooperation with Russia, China, and India. Strategic posturing could also result in a less lenient approach from Arab oil nations towards Bidens energy strategies and the U.S. shale recovery. OPEC+ is evidence of the growing economic strength of non-U.S. economies. Broad support from the U.S. for a new JCPOA agreement and increasing pressure on Arab regimes would only increase this new economic force and could also lead to a very volatile oil and gas market. President Biden will have to play his hand carefully in the Middle East to avoid global economic and geopolitical ramifications.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

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The Oil Deal That Could Destroy Iraq From Within - Baystreet.ca

Baghdad, 8 February 2021 - The United Nations in Iraq welcomes the contribution of USD 9.7 million from the USAID to a UN-led project to support and assist capacity-building within the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). The USAID funding will also support the deployment of UN electoral advisers at subnational levels as IHEC prepares the October 2021 early national elections.

On behalf of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to manage the financing and administration of the project.

The United States is committed to listening to Iraqi needs and providing tailored support that promotes Iraqi sovereignty and stability, said USAID/Iraq Mission Director John Cardenas. This USAID funding will ensure UNAMIs ability to effectively implement its most pressing electoral assistance activities in preparation for the upcoming 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections.

The United Nations thanks the United States for its contribution to the process of holding free, fair and transparent elections in Iraq.

For more information, please contact: Mr. Samir Ghattas, Director of Public Information/Spokesperson United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: ghattass@un.org or the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org

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UN signs financing agreement with the USAID to support UN electoral assistance to Iraq [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq - ReliefWeb

More than 100 members of the Yazidi community killed by members of Islamic State have been reburied in a ceremony to mourn their loss.

They died at the hands of the Islamist group six years ago when it swept across northern Iraq, killing thousands.

On Saturday, soldiers could be seen carrying coffins as the dead were laid to rest at a mass funeral in the village of Kocho, in the Iraqi region of Sinjar.

Their bodies were exhumed from mass graves last year in an operation organised by the United Nations, before they were identified in Baghdad.

The process has been overseen by the Martyrs' Foundation, a branch of the Iraqi government. The 104 victims buried on Saturday were identified using DNA samples taken from their relatives.

So far, 16 mass graves have been exhumed, out of a total of 73 suspected sites.

One of those who attended the funeral in Kocho said some of the victims will never be found.

Obeid Khalaf, whose Yazidi relative was among those killed, said: "Some of these bones don't exist anymore, because floods swept them away."

Islamic State, also known as Daesh, ISIL and ISIS, took control of northern Iraq in 2014 and was in power until it was defeated by mostly Kurdish and Iraqi forces in 2017, with help from an international coalition including the UK.

The militants had no toleration of other faiths and tried to eradicate the Yazidis, a religious minority who have beliefs that are different from Muslim and Christian worshippers in the region.

Villages and religious sites were destroyed, men lined up and shot, and thousands of women and children kidnapped.

Many of those seized were traded as modern-day slaves.

Last year, Iraq and the UN began exhuming graves in the village of Kocho, where IS militants are believed to have massacred hundreds of Yazidis in August 2014, so victims could be given a dignified burial, after their remains were identified.

But some still continue to feel resentment at their treatment and anxieties over ongoing security.

Samysa, a Yazidi woman from Sinjar at the funeral who did not provide a surname, told the AP news agency: "We still consider ourselves in (a condition of) genocide because nothing has been done for the survivors, orphans or widows.

"Nothing has been done or provided to them until now, and there are no services inside Sinjar. And above all they (government) ask us to return voluntarily.

"How can we return if there was no security or safety. If you don't give us assurance, how can we come back?"

Continue reading here:
Yazidi victims of Islamic State reburied after mass graves exhumed in Iraq - Sky News

To avoid a similar scenario to the Beirut Port explosion, Iraq has emptied more than 2 dozen containers of hazardous materials at its ports.

The Iraqi Border Ports Authority announced Monday that it had emptied 35 containers from Iraqs ports, particularly the northern and central ports of Umm Qasr, that contained highly dangerous chemicals.

The containers were unloaded safely and away from residential areas and public institutions, at the instructions of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, according to Iraqi media.

The Authority had established, on August 6th, 2020, a committee tasked with sorting high-risk chemical containers, including ammonium nitrate containers, on Iraqi territory to prevent explosions such as the massive one that rocked Beirut on August 4th.

Omar Al-Waili, the head of the Border Ports Authority, said in a statement that the important precautionary measures come to avoid what happened in the brotherly state of Lebanon and the devastation caused by these explosions.

In Beirut, a German firm has been working on removing containers of dangerous chemicals from the Port of Beirut following the blast. The firm recently revealed that it had transported what it called a second bomb from the Port.

In the meantime, the investigation into the deadly explosion has yet to yield an outcome, 6 months after the incident. The probe had been suspended for the past few weeks and will resume this week with several interrogations.

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Iraq Is Emptying Chemical Containers To Avoid What Happened In Lebanon - The961