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By John Lee.

The former CEO of US-based engineering consulting firm Louis Berger Group has pleaded guilty to overbilling for reconstruction contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bloomberg reports that Derish Wolff, 79, admitted that he conspired to defraud the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) over nearly 20 years, enriching himself and his company with money intended for important reconstruction projects.

Wolff is scheduled to be sentenced on 20th March, and could face up to 10 years in prison.

(Source: Bloomberg)

(Corruption image via Shutterstock)

By Bob Tollast.

This article constitutes an introduction on the recent history of Iraq’s electricity sector followed by a Q and A with Mr. Istepanian.

As Iraq endures the most serious terrorist offensive since 2004, what is certain is that this year a separate fight will continue to improve services, also crucial to the legitimacy of the government.

Iraq’s electricity sector today has overcome many challenges since it’s heyday before the onset of hostilities at the start of the 1991 Gulf War.

But the mountain is only half climbed, because although the spring 2014 saw almost 24 hour electricity in parts of the country for the first time since Operation Desert Storm, the situation is tenuous. With the arrival of summer and its associated need for full blast air conditioning, demand will surge again and we could soon be seeing the power outages Iraqis have become too familiar with.

A casualty of war

Twenty three years ago, as coalition aircraft massed in the Gulf to attack Saddam’s power base in Iraq, the country was producing more than enough electricity, over 9000 MW. This development arose from Saddam’s spending sprees of the 1970s and 80s where the nationalised oil industry produced a windfall of petrodollars, which the Ba’ath Party was keen to spend on infrastructure. The good times soon ground to a halt however, with the immense expenditure incurred by Iraq’s war effort against Iran. Nonetheless, the lights stayed on until the electricity infrastructure was targeted as a part of the coalition air campaign to cripple Saddam’s million strong armed forces.

By John Lee.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director Alonzo Wind joined the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Secretariat, Dr. Ali Al-Allaq, in opening the Third National Conference on Excellence in Services at the Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad on March 24.

The two-day conference provided an opportunity to recognize joint Government of Iraq and USAID collaboration in the field of “excellence” in governance.

In partnership with the USAID Governance Strengthening Project (GSP), also known by its Arabic name, Taqadum, (“progress”), the Government of Iraq has made efforts to improve service delivery by adopting mechanisms that are used by government officials in many countries.

These improvements come through the government excellence teams’ self-assessment of problems and solutions that directly address existing obstacles.  The mechanisms allow for continuous self-improvement within government entities.

In his remarks, USAID Deputy Mission Director Alonzo Wind congratulated the central and provincial governments on progress made in service delivery, highlighting in-house expertise and sustainability as core strengths.  Mr. Wind encouraged government officials to spread excellence best practices across Iraq for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

USAID’s Governance Strengthening Project supports the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement by assisting the Government of Iraq to develop service delivery and executive oversight capacities at the sub-national level.

(Source: US Embassy Iraq)

On Wednesday January 22, Deputy Chief of Mission John P. Desrocher joined the Secretary General of Council of Ministers, Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, in opening the First National Conference on Legal Aid Clinics at the Royal Tulip Hotel in Baghdad.

The event was attended by ministers, members of parliament, and regional and local government officials from fifteen Iraqi governorates.

During his opening remarks, Mr. Desrocher noted that "the U.S Embassy, through the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Access to Justice Project, supports Iraqi civil society organizations to improve vulnerable populations' knowledge of their rights, and assist people in accessing the legal benefits to which they are entitled. Since 2010, the project has helped over 18,000 vulnerable Iraqis understand their rights and access legal services."

The two-day conference, held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers (COMSEC) and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, marks the beginning of a partnership between Iraqi civil society organizations (CSOs) and the central government in support of national legal aid at the provincial level.

This partnership follows a pilot initiative between legal assistance CSOs and COMSEC's Citizens' Affairs Office. CSO lawyers staffed a legal help desk in Baghdad to provide a one-stop-shop for citizens to resolve their complaints. As a result of the pilot's success, COMSEC will expand the legal help desks to all 15 governorate offices.

USAID's Access to Justice Program, which helped convene the conference, works with central, provincial, and local governments as part of the cooperation outlined in the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. This conference provided an important forum for Iraqi officials from across the country to work together with civil society and legal experts to develop a strategy regarding institutionalizing a legal aid framework for Iraq.

(Source: Embassy of the United States)

On Sunday, January 12, Ambassador Stephen Beecroft joined Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki in opening the First National Conference on Developing a Roadmap for Implementing Law 21, at the Royal Tulip Hotel in Baghdad. Prime Minister Maliki, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs TorhanAl-Mufti, and Ambassador Beecroft, gave opening remarks at the conference which was attended by ministers, members of parliament, and regional and local government officials from fourteen Iraqi provinces.

During his opening remarks, Ambassador Beecroft noted:“For more than ten years, the U. S. government has supported governance programming for Iraq’s central and local governments. Currently, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, is implementing the Governance Strengthening Project, also known by its Arabic name Taqadum.”

The two day expo conference, held under the auspices of the Prime Minister and sponsored by the U.S. Mission in Iraq – through the U.S. Agency for International Development – featured some of Iraq’s foremost legal scholars speaking on Law 21, its evolution, and likely challenges that local governments mightface under recent amendments. Law 21, also called the Provincial Powers Act, addresses the transfer of power and responsibilities to local governments.

USAID's Governance Strengthening Project (GSP), which helped convene the conference, works with the central, provincial, and local governments to develop their capacity to deliver essential services to the Iraqi people in accordance with the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. This conference provides an important forum for Iraqi governing officials from across the country together with international experts to strategize on the implementation of Law 21, the Provincial Powers Act.

(Source: Embassy of the United States)

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad congratulates the Government of Iraq (GOI) on its launch of the Social Safety Net (SSN) program.

The Social Safety Net helps ensure that unemployed and disabled Iraqi citizens have access to sufficient financial aid and benefits from the government. Many vulnerable Iraqis will benefit from this important system.

The U.S. Embassy, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrative Reform Project, is proud to have collaborated with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) and the World Bank in supporting GOI efforts to establish the new program.

Thanks to the customized SSN software, MoLSA has already benefited from a savings of 28 million dollars - funds that were channeled back into the system to support more families. The SSN covers more than one million Iraqis and reflects the GOI's commitment to combat poverty.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs launched the Government of Iraq's Safety Social Net program on Thursday, December 12. Dr. Nassar Al Rubaie, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, hosted the event at Baghdad's Al Mansur Melia Hotel.

The USAID Administrative Reform Project, also known as the Tarabot project, supports the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement through its work with the Government of Iraq to help it strengthen public management institutions and improve delivery of services to its citizens.

(Source: Embassy of the United States)

From USAID/Tarabot.

This video provides an overview of the historic accomplishment of the Iraqi government and those who support them - the rollout of the country's first social safety net.

The video features interviews from both project staff and members of the Iraqi government, such as Nassar al-Rubaie, Iraq's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs:

On December 4 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Associate Administrator Mark Feierstein and Acting Assistant Administrator Alina Romanowski concluded a two-day visit to Iraq as part of a regional tour of USAID missions.

In Baghdad, the Associate Administrator and Acting Assistant Administrator met with Prime Minister Maliki’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Hamid Ahmed, to discuss Government of Iraq (GOI) development priorities.

Mr. Feierstein and Ms. Romanowski also met with Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Rowsch Shaways and discussed the future of Iraq’s economy and USAID’s work in support of economic diversification.

Mr. Feierstein and Ms. Romanowski also visited various USAID projects, including the Primary Health Care Project, the employment generation Opportunities Project (Foras), the Elections Support Project, and the Administrative Reform Project (Tarabot).

The two visitors had the opportunity to discuss project progress with implementing partners as well as meet and speak with Iraqi beneficiaries of the projects. Mr. Feierstein stated that “I'm pleased to see that USAID programs are having an impact for Iraqi individuals and communities - from supporting over 2,000 job placements and an employment portal to helping to strengthen Government of Iraq administrative management to improve service delivery and reducing the time it takes for businesses to register.

On Monday, September 16, the Ministry of Planning launched Iraq’s second National Development Plan (NDP) 2013-2017 at Baghdad’s Al-Rasheed Hotel.

The Ministry of Planning (MOP) played a key role in producing the new NDP, with support from other Government of Iraq institutions and line ministries. The launch for the NDP was hosted by Minister of Planning Dr. Ali Al Shukri (pictured). Iraq’s NDP 2013-2017 establishes government’s development priorities, and charts a path for Iraq to achieve more diversified economic growth.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), supported the Ministry of Planning in the preparation of Iraq’s NDP through its Tarabot Administrative Reform Project. In his remarks, USAID Iraq Mission Director, Mr. Thomas H. Staal, congratulated the Government of Iraq, noting that the National Development Plan 2013-2017 articulates a vision for utilizing Iraq’s expanding budgetary resources in a way that benefits all Iraqis.

The new NDP calls for the investment of approximately $357 billion in development projects across Iraq, focusing in particular on five key sectors: energy; building and services; agriculture; education; transportation; and communication.

The USAID Tarabot project supports the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement through its work with the Government of Iraq to help it strengthen public management institutions and improve delivery of services to its citizens.

(Source: Embassy of the United States)

On Thursday August 22, the Ministry of Trade (‘Ministry’) in cooperation with the Federation of Chambers of Commerce (‘Federation’) launched Iraq’s first “One Stop Shop” for company registration. The Ministry of Trade was represented at the event by Deputy Minister Waleed Habeeb Al-Mosawy; the Federation was represented by Secretary General Abdulhuessein Almubaraka.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports the Ministry and the Federation through ‘ISRAR’ (“Iraqi Solutions for Regulatory and Administrative Reform”), a component of the USAID-Tarabot Administrative Reform Project.

In his remarks, the USAID Mission Director, Mr. Thomas H. Staal, congratulated the Government of Iraq, noting that the One Stop Shop is a model for further reform to ease the cost, time and difficulty of doing business in Iraq. “We are very pleased to be part of this important launch today. USAID has been working hard with its Iraqi partners to improve the business environment. This launch is part of this effort,” Mr. Staal stated.

The new One Stop Shop will allow businesspersons to reserve a company name at the same location where they file for company registration. Before the One Stop Shop, this action required three separate visits to different offices. In addition, an online database was recently launched (http://iraq-trade-names.com) that allows businesspersons to verify immediately if a trade name is already in use.

Iraqi businesses will save money and time with the new One Stop Shop and other reforms supported through ISRAR and USAID’s Tarabot project. This in turn will help accelerate the generation of new jobs and economic opportunities for people throughout Iraq.

USAID-Tarabot works with the Government of Iraq as outlined in the Strategic Framework Agreement to help it strengthen public management institutions and improve delivery of services to its citizens.

(Source: Embassy of the United States)