IRAQ: UN LAUNCHES 2008 HUMANITARIAN APPEAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 000481 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PREF PGOV UN IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ: UN LAUNCHES 2008 HUMANITARIAN APPEAL ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On 12 February, the United Nations (UN) launched a humanitarian appeal for Iraq in Baghdad and requested $265 million for humanitarian activities for vulnerable Iraqis. The UN faces challenges related to its security stance to increasing its presence in Iraq, but may modify them soon. The Government of Iraq (GOI) has create a new committee under the Prime Minister to facilitate humanitarian activities and pledged an additional $40 million to the effort. The launch reflects an effort by the UN to raise the profile of the humanitarian situation and demonstrate its will to work with the GoI. Whether it will succeed depends on its ability to transfer operations from Jordan and raise the necessary funds. END SUMMARY. Appeal Launched in Baghdad -------------- ¶2. (U) On 12 February, OFDA Rep attended the Baghdad launch of the UN Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) document for Iraq. The CAP was launched by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) Steffan De Mistura, Humanitarian Coordinator David Shearer, Minister of Displacement and Migrants (MODM) Dr. Ali Sultan and Dr. Ali Al-Dabbagh from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). Also at the thinly attended event were western diplomats, government officials, journalists and UN staff. ¶3. (U) The CAP requests $265 million for 65 individual projects to be implemented by 10 Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and 14 UN agencies in nine sectoral areas (food, housing/shelter, HEALTH and nutrition, protection/human rights/rule of law, water and sanitation, unspecified, education, coordination and agriculture/food security). These projects will be on behalf of about 2.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) nationwide, and be implemented within 12 months. ¶4. (U) The Appeal document provides a snapshot of humanitarian conditions in Iraq, and lays out a strategy for the humanitarian community to address the most urgent needs. The four strategic priorities are to: 1) relieve immediate suffering by ensuring access to essential services; 2) provide protection to vulnerable civilians against human rights violations; 3) improved capacity, coverage and coordination of humanitarian activities; and 4) strengthen linkage between immediate action and sustainable recovery. ¶5. (U) Mr. Shearer said in his remarks that the CAP represents the operationalizing of UN SC Resolution 1770, which calls for an increased UN response in Iraq. He explained that the UN will rely on NGOs to implement since they are able to operate effectively in spite of continuing difficulty moving around due to security threats. He emphasized that the Appeal is meant to fill humanitarian gaps and provide for rapid action, not achieve a comprehensive solution, which will require GoI action. ¶6. (U) Participants at the launch stressed the importance of working with and under the leadership of the GoI. Several noted that given the scale of the problem and the resources potentially available to it, as well as the history of state provision of services in Iraq, it is only logical that the GoI take a strong lead. Money-back Guarantee -------------- ¶7. (U) An unusual promise was made by SRSG De Mistura to the GoI at the meeting: if the UN received funds and had not disbursed them within 20 months, the UN would either return the funds to the donors or provide them to the GoI for disbursal. (Whether individual UN agencies will accept this conditionality remains to be seen, but the promise was well-received by the GoI and donor representatives present). Minister of Migration -------------- ¶8. (U) MODM Minister Sultan said that Iraq continues to suffer from the economic misdeeds of past regimes and current siege by terrorists. Iraq is now a donor, not just a recipient, having provided $100 million to BAGHDAD 00000481 002 OF 003 deal with internal displacement, therefore what Iraq needs is help with mechanisms, not just resources. The minister called on donors to help to ensure GoI efforts are robust and implemented under a well understood, unified UN/MODM strategic framework. ¶9. (U) The Minister also took the occasion to announce the creation of a new council of ministers committee on humanitarian activities under the chairmanship of Dr. Al-Dabbagh, whose role would be to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations in Iraq and ensure government unity and support for those efforts, led by the MODM. This committee would also determine how to allocate funds to help the IDPs. Government of Iraq Pledges $40 million for IDPs -------------- -- ¶10. (U) Dr. Al-Dabbagh announced that the GoI would release $40 million in funds left over from a pre-war UN World Food Program fund to "the humanitarian effort" (without specifying if the funds would go to the CAP, although the SRSG gave the impression to the audience that it would). He said this amount was in addition to the $25 million already provided by the GoI and that it represented a "preliminary sum". He also told the group that the Jordanian Government had dropped plans to charge fees to Iraqis who have overstayed their visas in Jordan. Finally, he declared 2008 the year of "provision of services and infrastructure" to affected Iraqis. ¶11. (U) SRSG De Mistura said the GoI contribution would support the humanitarian effort in four key ways: 1) it would be a sign of the GoI's intent to participate in the material side of the response; 2) it would send a signal to Iraqis that the GoI is serious about this problem; 3) it would put into use humanitarian funds long frozen; and 4) it will increase national pride through Iraq being a donor and not simply a recipient. UN Staff Limits -------------- ¶12. (U) If the UN is going to achieve the goals of the CAP, it will need to increase the number of civilian professional staff based in Iraq and relax security restrictions where feasible to allow them to work. Currently UN staff members are prevented from leaving their bases in Baghdad's International Zone or Erbil except under strict escort conditions, and are unable to plan and implement projects based on first- hand field assessments. ¶13. (U) A senior UN official told OFDA rep that the chief of UN's Department of Security (who was recently in Iraq) will probably recommend an increase in the number of UN staffers allowed in Baghdad from 85 to 140, in Erbil from 36 to 50 and a ceiling in Basra of seven. He also said the chief would be looking at ways to improve UN "mobility" in Iraq, but not yet review the UN's security phase, which remains at phase four (emergency operations only) nationwide. (A lowering of the phase would facilitate staff travel outside guarded bases. A nuanced approach has been called for given the variety of security conditions in Iraq.) Comments -------------- ¶14. (U) The Iraq CAP was an afterthought (UN annual appeals are usually launched in December) and reflects the new humanitarian leadership being provided in Iraq by HC Shearer. The decision to make a humanitarian appeal was made in part to raise funds, but also to raise awareness of the humanitarian issues in Iraq, assert UN leadership in addressing them, bring the GoI into the process more formally and show donors that the UN is serious about re-engaging with Iraq from inside Iraq. ¶15. (U) The launch takes place in a context of cautious optimism that the displacement phenomenon may well have peaked and cautious returns begun. Speakers stressed, however, that there is a long way to go in terms of addressing the underlying causes of displacement (insecurity, sectarian tension) and durable solutions (reconciliation, economic rehabilitation). BAGHDAD 00000481 003 OF 003 ¶16. (U) It is not clear what is going to happen with the $40 million pledged by the GoI towards humanitarian activities. Some concern was privately expressed by UN officials present that the money, outside the national budget could easily disappear. ¶17. (U) To achieve the goals of the CAP, given the multiplicity of actors and interests, complexity of the situation and large scale of the problem, effective coordination will be required. ONE of the pre-requisites for this will be to end the bi-polar system in use between Baghdad and Amman, preferably by favoring Iraq-based coordination. Another will be the establishing of a robust presence of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Iraq. Conclusion -------------- ¶18. (U) While the production and release of this appeal in Baghdad is a hopeful sign that the UN will be increasing its engagement with Iraq, security concerns and the UN's continued reticence to take a nuanced view of them will continue to make humanitarian work in the country very difficult for UN implementing agencies. Whether the UN will be able to become a player will depend on its ability to overcome both the security issues and the comfort of its staff in Jordan, and to get a decent response from donors for the humanitarian Appeal. CROCKER