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WFP Iraq Country Brief, March 2022

In Numbers

• 710,492 people assisted in March 2022
• US$ 2.25 million distributed in March 2022 through cash-based transfers
• 1,686 mt of in-kind assistance distributed
• US$ 39.4 million six months net funding requirements (April - September 2022)

Operational Updates

• In March, WFP provided cash and food assistance to 182,152 internally displaced persons (IDPs), 68,419 refugees, and 8,118 people from vulnerable communities through resilience building initiatives. Through the School Feeding Programme, WFP supported 451,803 children.
• WFP's resilience-building initiatives continue to provide smallholder farmers with the support they need in order to improve their production and increase crop yields. In Ninewa governorate, WFP provided greenhouses, beehives, cattle and seeds to 325 farmers who utilize the knowledge and expertise shared by WFP to provide a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their families.
• WFP collaborated with the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources to organize the second Annual Baghdad International Water Conference, to help highlight and provide solutions to the issues of climate change and water scarcity facing Iraq's people and agriculture. WFP presented its latest data and findings on the issue to support the government of Iraq with its Green Paper to address these serious challenges.
• In its continued efforts to support Iraq's youth, and confront climate change, WFP provided a new solar power system for the Career Development Centre at the University of Sulaymaniyah. The solar energy provided now effectively meets the electricity gap during power cuts or shortages, enabling seamless support to youth in need as they take part in the EMPACT (Empowerment in Action) project. Participation in this project supports students with relevant training in English, digital skills and entrepreneurship that enables them to find work opportunities, start small businesses and provide an income.
• In collaboration with the University of Sulaymaniyah and German creative design platform JOVOTO, WFP celebrated the three young EMPACT graduates Aisha, Mohammed and Kawther, whose designs revolving around the EMPACT project won the first, second and third prizes respectively, in the first design innovation joint competition.
• For International Women's Day on 8 March, Urban Livelihoods participant and trainer Nada was invited by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Baghdad to visit from Basra, to participate in a special event to speak about her journey and experience. The impact of WFP's Urban Livelihoods programme, implemented across southern Iraq and Ninewa, is apparent through star participants such as Nada. She attended the programme, then taught photography skills that she acquired from her training, quickly became a social entrepreneur, leader of a prolific youth creative group, and role model for her contemporaries in Basra.
• Under the School Feeding Programme funded and coimplemented by the Government of Iraq, WFP organized several workshops and training sessions to further develop the capacity of the Ministry of Education, to be able to successfully implement the programme independently in the future, while WFP continues providing technical and logistics support and expertise. These included three Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions, three capacity building workshops and a Food Quality Control workshop that was delivered in cooperation with WFP's Regional Bureau.
• As part of the joint Social Protection Programme with the government and UN partners, WFP held three consultation workshops for more than 80 Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government staff members and key Ministerial participants. The workshops produced a roadmap for establishing a Single Registry based on multi-stakeholder discussions. The workshops also initiated dialogue on the improvement of Iraq's social protection schemes with special focus on the public distribution system for food rations (PDS). In addition to multiple Ministry representatives, the workshops were attended by UNICEF, ILO, World Bank, GIZ and UNHCR.
• Representatives of Canada and Germany visited Sharya IDP camp in Duhok and met with a number of displaced families to discuss their situation, reasons that prohibit their return to their homes, and ongoing needs.
• In light of the rise in food prices as a result of the RussianUkrainian conflict, WFP temporarily increased its cash transfer value to vulnerable IDPs living in Jadaa-5 camp to mitigate the effects and ensure that families are not affected.

The full report can be downloaded here.

(Source: ReliefWeb)

By Ayser Jabbar for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq grapples with rising food costs as a result of Ukraine war

Ripple effects from the Russian invasion of Ukraine are driving the Iraqi government to allot additional funds to ensure the food supply is stable.

Click here to read the full article.

By Samuel Ramani, for The Middle East Institute. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

What does Russia's war in Ukraine mean for Iraq?

Although Iraq has avoided taking sides in Russia's war with Ukraine, the conflict could exacerbate factional divisions and profoundly impact the Iraqi economy's near-term trajectory.

While the strides made in Russia-Iraq cooperation over the past decade are unlikely to be destroyed by the war, Baghdad is likely to limit its cooperation with Moscow to essential spheres and overcome the impact of sanctions by embracing a genuinely multipolar foreign policy.

Click here to read the full article.

From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

How the Ukraine war creates opportunities, challenges for Iraq

Russia and Ukraine are major breadbaskets, accounting for 30% of wheat, 17% of corn, and over half of sunflower seed oil exports worldwide.

The war between the two neighbors has led to sharply rising prices for basic staples across the globe.

In Iraq, protests have broken out over soaring food costs that government officials have attributed to the conflict in eastern Europe.

The full report can be viewed here (registration required).

By Salam Zidane for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Russian invasion of Ukraine has sharp impact on Iraq's economy

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused shortages of food in Iraq and forced the government to pay more in gasoline subsidies, but the high price of crude oil plus sanctions on Russia has opened new opportunities for Iraq.

Click here to read the full article.

By John Lee.

Turkish building company Polikon is to start work on a new airport in Anbar.

The Governor of Anbar, Dr. Ali Farhan Al-Dulaimi, handed over the land designated for Anbar International Airport to representatives of the company on Thursday, according to a statement from Anbar Governorate.

Work on the first phase of the airport is expected to start in the coming days.

Shafaq reported last year that the airport was designed by a Turkish company called Selkom, and that it will be built on a 3,000-donum (300-hectare) site west of Ramadi. It is to have a capacity of 500,000 passengers per year.

According to the Polikon website, "[the company] has been established to construct various superstructure, infrastructure, industrial and residential building projects in our home country Turkey and abroad. Polikon is active since long years in Russia, Ukraine, CIS Countries, Algeria and Iraq."

(Sources: Anbar Governorate, Shafaq)

By John Lee.

A report by the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has said that the food security situation in Iraq is now being exacerbated by the global impacts of the Ukraine-Russia war.

The two countries are the key suppliers of food, energy, and agricultural inputs, globally.

Russia and Ukraine jointly are responsible for almost one third of global wheat supply. In addition, Russia and Ukraine are the key exporters of sunflower oil, accounting for more than three-quarters of sunflower supplies to international markets.

The conflict is causing price volatility in the global food market because of higher logistics cost, lower supply and panic purchase. The countries with high dependency on food imports, like Iraq, are directly being impacted.

Highlights of the report:

• The prices of essential food commodities are increasing and impacting the purchasing power of vulnerable Iraqis.
• Wage rates are not revised over past two years and Ukraine-Russia war is exacerbating the already deteriorating food security situation.
• The benefits from higher oil price will offset by increased import bill.
• Despite sluggish economic growth, inflation has been on the rise - and with it the risk of stagflation.

Click here to download the full report.

(Source: WFP)

Writing in Oil Price, Simon Watkins says Iraq's West Qurna 2 oilfield, run by Russian oil giant Lukoil, may see a quick increase in production from 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) to well over 600,000 bpd, rising to more than 1 million bpd further out.

Click here to read the full article.

By John Lee.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss food security following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The meeting included the Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Planning, Trade, Agriculture, Water Resources, Industry, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, and a number of advisors.

As the situation has led to increased food prices, the Prime Minister has directed the ministries to look into the issue of food security and strategic storage of foodstuffs.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

By Shelly Kittleson for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Militias support Russian invasion as Iraq refuses to condemn

Iraq has aligned with China and Iran in abstaining from a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Click here to read the full article.