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UNESCO officials concluded a series of meetings held with director generals in Ministries of Education in the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government, as well as representatives from local NGOs, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and accelerate the implementation of UNESCO programmes targeting 10,000 out-of-school children and youth in Iraq.

“UNESCO is committed to extend its technical and financial support to related Ministries to allow 10,000 IDPs children and youth re-enroll in academic institutions”, stated Zulfiqar Ali, Education Project manager in UNESCO Office for Iraq. “Providing a learning opportunity for all children and youth, and making sure that their education is not interrupted by displacement is a main priority for UNESCO in this stage, and a pillar for its projects in Iraq”, he added. UNESCO’ expert’s statement came following his three days’ meetings with the Iraqi officials from 5 to 7 September 2014 in the city of Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

UNESCO’s response is based on two main projects focusing on schools renovation, reconstruction, examination, organizing catch-up classes and providing psychosocial support. With the aim to guarantee IDPs’ children and youth right to quality education, UNESCO Office for Iraq is implementing the “Educate A Child Initiative (EACI) in Iraq” and “Providing access to quality education to adolescents and young adults in conflict affected areas in Iraq”, two pioneering initiatives funded respectively by the governments of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These interventions will provide access to education for internally displaced out-of-school children and youth at primary and secondary level in camps, as well as in host communities in Iraq.

Dr. Yousif Othman, Director General of Educational Planning, at the Ministry of Education in the Kurdistan regional government praised UNESCO efforts, and stressed that “schools used as shelter by IDPs need to be evacuated, and UNESCO already committed to renovate and reconstruct secondary schools for IDPs children and youth allowing them to start schooling from new academic year”.

By John Lee.

Al Jazeera reports that Saudi Arabia has unveiled a 900-km multi-layered fence along its border with Iraq.

The project, which includes five layers of fencing equipped with watch towers, night-vision cameras and 50 radars is aimed at cutting the "number of infiltrators, drug, arms and cattle smugglers to zero".

In 2009, Riyadh signed a deal with EADS to secure the Iraq border, but with increasing fears over infiltration by anti-government groups and al-Qaeda, the interior ministry expanded the scope to cover all the country's borders.

In July, Saudi Arabia sent 30,000 soldiers to its border with Iraq after Iraqi soldiers withdrew from the area.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

(Saudi Arabia image via Shutterstock)

Funding from Saudi Arabia to the UN will allow UN-Habitat to provide shelter options for internally displaced people, commonly referred to as IDPs, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Following the takeover of Mosul by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant movement – ISIL – last June and the influx of more than 600,000 IDPs to other areas in the country, UN-Habitat was granted USD 8 million from the Saudi government to work with other agencies in the response activities to the IDP crisis in Iraq.

Through this grant, UN-Habitat has started implementing a “Sustainable Shelters for IDPs” programme that focuses on providing convenient housing and early recovery services for approximately 1,000 IDP families in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in addition to limited intervention in other Iraqi governorates.

Speaking of the new initiative, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director, Dr Joan Clos, said: “This programme allows us to assess the rapidly changing situation and develop appropriate shelter responses for those affected by the ongoing crisis in Iraq. UN-Habitat is grateful for the generous and timely contribution of the Saudi Arabian government which will enable us to support some of the most vulnerable displaced people in Iraq.”

Each family will be housed in a prefabricated housing unit or in a composite unit within a collective shelter as appropriate, and will have access to electricity, water, and sanitation services. Shelters will be built on identified sites that will include public service centres, including police stations, medical clinics, parks and green spaces.

It is of great concern that IDP families will have access to basic services and employment opportunities. The UN Development Programme, UNDP, is supporting infrastructure component of this initiative and the UN Office for Project Services, UNOPS, will provide solar panels for electrical supply and streets lightening.

In Bahraka and Erbil UN-Habitat has finalized the topographic survey, site plan, designs and bills of quantities of the housing units and the governor of Erbil has endorsed these. Current available resources will cover the erection of between250 and 300 prefab units and proposals have been submitted to donors for additional funding to complement this.

By John Lee.

Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi has issued a statement saying that government formation is going well and that on the security front, all militias loyal to the government must come under government control.

The remarks are another sign of the PM's departure from the governing style of Nouri-al-Maliki, who originally appeared tough on militias such as the now defunct Jaish-al-Mahdi, only to later tolerate the presence of  non-state armed groups such as Asa'ib ahl-al-Haq. Abadi also remarked that government formation negotiations were "positive", noting,

"We will never allow any armed group to operate outside of the framework of the state," before continuing that politics was progressing:

 "Several meetings and dialogues were held with the political blocs to form a unified vision for our governmental program. The negotiations were generally positive and constructive. I hope we will agree to form a unified vision for the governmental program in the next two days."

Abadi's remarks are also another sign that the new PM can potentially gather greater regional and international support for his efforts to unify Iraq and bring reconciliation to the long troubled country.

Renewed attempts at reconciliation have won Abadi the tentative support of governments around the region, including Saudi Arabia, who were previously at loggerheads with Nouri-al-Maliki.

(Source: The Daily Star-Lebanon)

By Barbara Slavin for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

US officials have begun discussions with local leaders in Iraq’s Ninewa province about how to recapture the city of Mosul in the wake of the successful operation to recover control of Mosul Dam from the Islamic State (IS), a US official said.

In an interview Aug. 20 with Al-Monitor, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, predicted that recovering Iraq’s second largest city — which was seized by IS on June 10 — would “require local forces” and be a long-term project.

“We’re in touch with the governor of Ninevah and all the Iraqi leaders and a number of sheikhs from the area about how to begin to take territory away from ISIL,” the official said, using an alternate acronym for the extremist group.

The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday that it is launching one of its largest humanitarian aid pushes in response to the deteriorating situation in Iraq, aiming to help close to a half million people who had been forced to flee their homes.

Barring last minute delays, an air, road and sea operation will begin tomorrow with a four-day airlift from Aqaba in Jordan to Erbil in Iraq. This will be followed by road convoys from Turkey and Jordan, and sea and land shipments from Dubai via Iran over the next 10 days.

“The major focus is on improving living conditions for the displaced in the region, particularly people without shelter or housing,” said Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “Conditions remain desperate for those without access to suitable shelter, people struggling to find food and water to feed their families, and those without access to primary medical care.

“Many are still coming to grips with the tragedy they’ve been through in recent weeks – fleeing homes with nothing, and many trying to cope with the loss of loved ones. Emergency support is an urgent need that we are trying to meet,” he told reporters in Geneva.

Included in the initial aid shipments are 3,300 tents, 20,000 plastic sheets, 18,500 kitchen sets, and 16,500 jerry cans. This assistance and further aid deliveries is being made possible thanks to a recent $500 million donation from Saudi Arabia, as well as support from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and global retailer IKEA – a UNHCR corporate partner.

By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

The United States has finally decided that Iraq's security and humanitarian situations require immediate military intervention. US President Barack Obama's Aug. 7 speech consolidated this decision and spelled out the US mission on two levels: implementation of "limited" military aerial operations, and a humanitarian intervention to save Iraq from the ethnic cleansing of its minorities.

The US intervention, however, conveys different messages on timing and goals. When it comes to timing, the United States exerted serious pressure on all Iraqi parties to reach a settlement over the formation of an Iraqi consensus government. Iraqis themselves would have to liberate their land, but not before unanimously agreeing upon the clear foundations of the Iraqi state.

Secretary of State John Kerry elaborated on this idea in an Aug. 7 statement, where he stressed the need for Iraqi politicians to agree on an inclusive and consensus governmental formula.

Before its limited military intervention, the United States waited for Iraqi parties to get past their attempts to politically benefit from the security collapse and to reach a foregone conclusion: There is no chance whatsoever for a monopoly on power in Iraq on the part of any sect, party or individual. Some decisions that could be made amid crises and collapses, such as a coup d’état or neutrality, would only usher in greater collapses.

Iraq’s crises and challenges, bolstered by the unprecedented entrenchment and expansion of the Islamic State (IS), could constitute an ideal portal for the region to realize the brittleness of borders. All countries are in danger. Such a realization could open the door for a regional repositioning and make countries more cautious when employing dogmas and sectarian affiliations in open wars.

Countries that intersect politically, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey, feel they are facing a genuine threat to their internal security. Time may force countries to adopt a more realistic vision on the poles of conflict in the Middle East.

By Omar al-Jaffal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

After the occupation of the Iraqi town of Mosul by armed groups, including the Islamic State (IS) and the Baath Party — banned by the Iraqi Constitution — prices of food increased significantly, a result of blocked roads and fighting near border crossings, preventing the flow of goods.

Iraq has only two sea routes, the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair, and the following border crossings: Trebil with Jordan; al-Waleed, al-Qaim and Rabia with Syria; Ibrahim Khalil with Turkey; Mundhiriyah with Iran; Arar with Saudi Arabia; and Safwan with Kuwait.

Iraqi markets rely heavily on border crossings for supplies, especially crossings with Turkey, Syria and Iran. The occupation of Mosul reduced access to the crossing of Ibrahim Khalil with Turkey, meaning there are no safe roads from the border to Baghdad and other provinces.

Moreover, the Rabia crossing recently fell out of central government control and into the hands of Kurdish forces. Yet, even before the occupation of Mosul, this border crossing was not favored by merchants.

The three border crossings on the frontiers of Anbar province that link Iraq to Jordan and Syria are basically inoperative, since Iraqi security forces launched a massive military operation in Anbar to eradicate terrorism in December 2014. Crucially, the Mundhiriyah crossing with Iran has remained out of the hands of the mainly Sunni militants since it is located in the majority Shiite Wasit province.

Furthermore, the Iranian government opened two other crossings with Iraq to facilitate the entry of goods. According to a statement issued by the Council of Ministers, the Iraqi government facilitated the procedures for the entry of goods through this crossing to speed up the flow of imports. The government now accepts certificates of origin, provided by inspecting companies, without taking random samples at border points.

Trade between Iraq and Turkey reached $12 billion (14 trillon Iraqi dinars) in 2013, however, on July 2, the Turkish Exporters Assembly said exports to Iraq had declined by 21%, dropping from second to third place, trailing behind the United Kingdom.

By Daniella Peled.

This article was originally published by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, iwpr.net, and it is reproduced by Iraq Business News with permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) poses a greater threat to Western security than al-Qaeda did in its day, according to an IWPR briefing this week.

Visiting London from Baghdad, IWPR Iraq chief of party Ammar al-Shahbander told the July 22 gathering that ISIS was an independent entity that operated in diverse ways and with different alliances in Syria and Iraq.

Speaking at the briefing via video link, IWPR Syria programme coordinator, Z.E., gave a snapshot of life in Aleppo and her work supporting citizen activism there. (Her name is not given here for security reasons.)

“Many people think that ISIS is not a threat to the West,” said al-Shahbander. “I completely disagree. ISIS is a much greater threat than al-Qaeda – it is the number one magnet for jihadis internationally.”

Not only has ISIS created its own de facto state, but it has a much more open recruitment policy than al-Qaeda.

“This is a very dangerous mix of people with top fighting capability and no ethics. ISIS is capable of violence beyond anything seen by al-Qaeda,” he continued, adding that the international mix of fighters made it all the more likely that they would bring extremist ideas back to their own countries.

At the same time, Shahbander argues that ISIS’s days are numbered in Iraq, as the range of Sunni groups that have struck up a temporary alliance with it and operate under its flag will ultimately turn on it – and they have significantly more military clout than it has.

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Najaf and Qom have taken two different approaches in dealing with general political affairs in Shiite communities since the introduction of the idea of ​​velayat-e faqih. Although this idea was put forward for the first time in Najaf by the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, it has not been welcomed by the Shiite hawza (seminary).

Finally, Khomeini managed to attain his wish to implement velayat-e faqih on the ground after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, which made this idea widely popular within the Iranian seminary of Qom.

The period after 2003 was a great challenge for both Najaf and Qom, during which competition emerged between them on how to deal with the political affairs of Iraq. Qom tended to implement its religio-political vision in Iran on the situation in Iraq, while Najaf had a different perspective over the situation in Iraq — which has a wider religious and ethnic diversity than that of Iran — therefore considering it impossible to have a narrow Shiite perspective over Iraq.

Najaf thus opted for dealing positively with the change by building an inclusive civil state in Iraq that does not only take into consideration the Shiite majority. On the other hand, Qom only saw in Iraq an American threat to Iran’s interests on the one hand and the Shiite majority on the other. According to it, the American threat must be eliminated and the Shiite authority must be in control.

The difference also appeared during the recent Iraqi crisis. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani contented himself with issuing a fatwa urging the support of the army in all of its religious and ethnic components against terrorists, while at the same time repeatedly emphasizing the need to completely ban militias and unofficial armed groups. He never mentioned the word Shiites, or anything else related to Shiism, in his statements and in the declarations made by his office and spokesman.

He was very careful when confirming the need to protect the holy places since he did not mention any specific description portraying these sanctuaries as Shiite shrines. His statements were broad and mentioned Christian and Yazidi temples and others in the areas falling under the control of the Islamic State (IS) — formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Meanwhile, Qom authorities focused their attention on the subject of Shiites and the expansion of Shiism in Iraq. Their statements and denouncements made toward the various parties in this crisis were based on this sectarian ideological perspective.