The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) affirmed its commitment to cooperate with its Iraqi partners to bring about positive change in Iraq, stating: “our efforts in the sectors of education, climate change, water management and health care aim to contribute to a more stable and prosperous future for the Iraqi people.”
The Director of the Office of Transitional Initiatives at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Brittney Brown said, during a round table with a group of media representatives, including the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / today, Wednesday, in Baghdad, that the “Recovery” program of the United States Agency for International Development is fully committed to a more stable and prosperous Iraq, because our local partners are the key to making progress towards this goal.”
She added, “The “Recovery” program, in partnership with about (228) local partners, has implemented (481) activities since 2018, especially with community groups and institutions, civil society organizations and local governments, in order to improve the level of public service provision, rehabilitate community infrastructure and restore livelihoods and addressing social issues that threaten stability, and our program is currently operating in the Nineveh Plain, Mosul, Sinjar, Baghdad, Basra and Dhi Qar.”
She added “I am here in Iraq to meet with my colleagues at the Embassy and the United States Agency for International Development – and, most importantly, with Iraqi Recovery Program partners and grantees – to discuss how our program can address the priorities most important to the Iraqi people, including the ongoing need for recovery efforts and the growing urgency of addressing climate change and water scarcity, which are causing instability and may be most acute in southern Iraq and encourage progress in Iraqi societies across the country.
She went on to say, “I was pleased to see Iraqis from diverse components working with the Recovery program to bridge religious and ethnic divisions, create stronger and more resilient societies, and ultimately, a stronger and more resilient Iraq.”
Brown confirmed, “During the five years that Recovery has been active in Iraq, our partners have made steady progress in northern Iraq to help recover and rebuild communities devastated by the ISIS occupation. We removed rubble, re-installed water, electricity and sewage systems, and rehabilitated societal and cultural centers, we renovated schools, and we will continue this important work.
She pointed out that: “During the work of the “Recovery” program, there are constant calls from local communities that one of their top priorities is to ensure the ability of their children to obtain education and a brighter future, in addition to renovating schools by the United States Agency for International Development, through the “Recovery” program, by providing (11,870) school seats for (135) schools throughout Iraq, benefiting (42,000) students. In partnership with local community organizations, we have distributed more than (60) thousand school bags to Iraqi students to encourage them to continue their education, and we are proud by supporting them to build paths to a better life.”
She stated, “There is another priority for Iraqi communities, which is health care. In addition to providing emergency support for the rehabilitation of Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad following the devastating fire in 2021, the “Recovery” program provided (47) primary health care centers with basic equipment throughout Iraq .We also provided oxygen concentrators for (17) primary health care centers and mobile clinics in Sinjar. In order to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, we provided sterilization equipment for (82) health facilities in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain.
Brown confirmed, “Water is at the forefront of the needs of many Iraqis, and therefore the USAID “Recovery” program has taken the initiative to improve access to water for three million Iraqis in the governorates of Nineveh and Anbar, by providing pumps, pipes, maintenance tools, and vehicles to the water departments since 2018. It also included activities such as: Providing assistance estimated at about one million dollars to repair the water station in west Mosul, which serves as the main water pumping station for about (400) thousand beneficiaries, in addition to equipping four water stations in Nineveh Governorate.
She added, “The “Recovery” program has rehabilitated (300) farms in the governorates of Nineveh and Anbar, where energy and water saving technologies are used. The activities included the rehabilitation of water wells and the provision of drip irrigation systems and solar panels at a value of approximately (1.5) million dollars, which benefited more than (2500) families.
The Director of the Office of Transitional Initiatives confirmed that, “US Agency for International Development, through the “Recovery” program with local partners throughout Iraq, organized discussions between the people and representatives of local governments to determine priorities, and these discussion sessions led to the start of local governments to provide more services and implementing infrastructure projects to address community priorities. We are also pleased to see that community consultation initiatives have inspired the independent entities of other community councils near the areas covered by our program, where communities and government work together to address challenges.”
Brown stated, “The steady decline in precipitation in Iraq over the past two decades, accompanied by high temperatures, has led to the worst drought conditions in Iraq’s history. In order to raise awareness of drought and water scarcity, those in charge of the “Recovery” program are cooperating with a group of journalists to raise awareness by civil action on the climate and the sharing of practical steps that can be adopted by Iraqis as those responsible for Iraq’s natural resources.
Regarding the support file for the Iraqi marshes, she explained that “USAID supports local environmental groups to implement popular initiatives and raise the voices of the diverse communities that live along the waterways of the marshes, but due to drought and pollution, the marshes are drying up and destroying the ecological life on which the marsh communities depend on her livelihood.”
She noted, “In late February, the United States Agency for International Development supported a local partner to organize a three-day waste clean-up campaign in the marshes of Missan Governorate. In its initial stages, the clean-up campaign proved so popular that it led to the launch of another (27) clean-up campaign targeting the Tigris River and the Iraqi marshes.” .
She added, “The “Recovery” program has involved more than two million Iraqis in this campaign to conserve water and protect rivers, as the campaign attracted more than (2,600) volunteers from all over Iraq, who collected and removed more than (80) tons of waste, which indicates how important climate change and pollution issues are to Iraqis across the country.
She concluded by saying, “The common denominator of these activities is that the Iraqi people, from local leaders and youth volunteers to community organizations, step forward together to meet the needs of their communities, and this teamwork has a great impact on the community’s ability to recover and create better opportunities for its children.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency