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The U.S. Consul General, Timmy Davis, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director, Dr. William Patterson, met with Basrah Governor, Asaad al-Idani, the Acting Provincial Council Chairman, Waled Ghaitan, and other provincial council members on November 6.

The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the new USAID Iraq Governance Performance and Accountability project, known as Takamul in Arabic. Takamul will support Government of Iraq reforms to strengthen public financial management and improve delivery of essential public services.

Assistance from Takamul’s predecessor project Taqadum, for example, supported the Wasit provincial government to increase provision of trash collection services to the residents of 16 municipalities throughout Wasit.

Takamul’s Basrah office will be the regional hub for supporting provincial governments throughout southern Iraq. Takamul continues the tradition of U.S. government support to the Government of Iraq to strengthen public service provision for all Iraqis.

Takamul will begin its activities in the region by holding training sessions in public financial management and service delivery later this month.

(Source: U.S. Embassy)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office in Iraq has issued a call for expressions of interest to fund activities that assist in the voluntary return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Ninewa Plains and western Ninewa, and to encourage those who are already in their communities to remain.

Ambassador Douglas Silliman (pictured) stated that,

“This initiative will allow the U.S. government to work hand-in-hand with organizations and private companies to help communities persecuted and displaced by violence to build a stronger future.”

With the liberation of ISIS-controlled territory, approximately 2.2 million Iraqis have already returned home, yet another three million Iraqis remain internally displaced. Many of those displaced are minorities, including from diverse religious and ethnic groups.

People in the Ninewa Plains and western Ninewa face unique post-conflict challenges, and the factors that influence these individuals to return to their homes and remain there need to be identified, assessed, and addressed.

The intent of this funding announcement is to allow co-creation and co-design — to the maximum extent possible — to create high-quality, effective, and efficient partnerships for research, development, piloting, and testing of innovative, practical, cost-effective, and scalable interventions.

Interested parties should refer to www.fbo.gov or www.grants.gov for the full Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) posting and submission requirements. Submissions are due by November 30, 2017.

(Source: U.S. Embassy)

UNDP and UNICEF to promote emergency preparedness amongst children in Iraq

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are joining efforts to conduct child-centric advocacy and promote school-based preparedness along the Tigris River flood path in Iraq. The two sister agencies signed a partnership agreement in this regard in Baghdad.

UNDP Country Director for Iraq, Mr. Mounir Tabet, said:

“We are pleased to work closely with UNICEF to maximize emergency preparedness in Iraq where needed most. Awareness amongst children is key to their safety and helps to build resilience of their communities in the long run.”

UNICEF Representative in Iraq, Mr. Peter Hawkins, said:

“Investing in child-centered disaster risk reduction can save lives. Together with UNDP, we will work to involve children in finding solutions and making decisions that will help them shape their own security and therefore, their future.”

In the coming weeks, UNDP and UNICEF will launch an advocacy campaign engaging selected school authorities in the preparation of a local evacuation plan. Furthermore, they will make arrangements for a number of schools to serve as temporary evacuation centres in consultation with respective authorities.

With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), UNDP has been supporting the Government of Iraq in emergency preparedness related to Mosul Dam. UNDP is also working closely with the National Operation Centre of the Office of the Prime Minister, Civil Defense, and Ministries of Water Resources and Health and Environment, in addition to respective Governorates, in order to build capacities and systems to promote national preparedness and community risk awareness.

For the first time in more than two years, the United Nations food relief agency has distributed urgently-needed food for people in and around the northern Iraqi town of Shirqat, which was under siege and cut off from humanitarian access from 2014 until earlier this month.

“Families in Shirqat are in a desperate need of humanitarian support after being cut off from the outside world for more than two years,” said Sally Haydock, Country Director in Iraq for the UN World Food Programme (WFP), in a news release.

“Thanks to a major contribution from USAID's Food for Peace and Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, WFP will be able to continue providing support for newly displaced families from the larger Mosul area,” she said.

WFP distributed a one-month supply of food for families in the Khadhraniya area of Shirqat through its local partner, Muslim Aid.

Residents of Shirqat – which is located 80 kilometres south of Mosul – have been living under very harsh conditions, struggling to access water, food, medical services and a functioning local market. WFP distributed rice, lentils, wheat flour, bulgur wheat, beans and vegetable oil for an initial 1,000 people. The agency plans to monitor the situation and support people in the town and surrounding villages over the coming weeks.

“This latest contribution of $25 million to WFP continues and reinforces our support to displaced and conflict-affected Iraqis,” said Douglas Silliman, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq.

Mr. Silliman noted that since 2014, the United States, through the Office of Food for Peace of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided more than $113 million in life-saving emergency food assistance to the people of Iraq.

More than three million Iraqis have been displaced by conflict since mid-June 2014. In response, WFP has provided food assistance to more than one million vulnerable, displaced Iraqis across all 18 governorates.

WFP is scaling up its assistance to support people displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas in Iraq as part of an inter-agency humanitarian response. To continue assisting displaced families in Iraq until the end of the year, WFP said it urgently requires $68 million.

(Source: United Nations News Centre)

By John Lee.

The United Nations has advertised several new positions in Iraq:

• Team Leader, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• TVET Expert, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• Technical Specialists USAID Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA) Project, Management Systems International (MSI)
• Contracts Assistant, UNICEF
• Livelihoods Research Consultant, International Alert (IA)
• Short-Term Expert on Climate Change Mitigation, UNDP
• Senior Program Advisor (P6), UNDP

(Source: UN)

(Recruitment image via Shutterstock)

United States and Government of Iraq Work in Partnership to Improve Management of Public Funds

On Thursday, June 2, U.S. Ambassador Stuart Jones (pictured), together with the Minister of Planning Salman al-Jumayli, and Chief of Staff for the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Mahdi al-Allaq, participated in the Ministry of Planning (MOP) conference entitled “Reforming Development in Iraq” at the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad.

Members of the Council of Representatives attended, along with officials from the Council of Ministers Secretariat, various government ministries, provincial governments, and the private sector.

The conference celebrated the Government of Iraq’s decision to require the use of Standard Bidding Documents for all government projects. It also marked the launch of the Iraq Development Management System (IDMS) for more effective management of government and donor-funded development projects in Iraq.

These key reforms will play a critical role in ensuring the fair and transparent management of public funds.  Improving the administration of the country’s economic assets is vital for enhancing infrastructure and quality of services provided to Iraqi citizens.

In his remarks, U.S. Ambassador Stuart Jones congratulated the Government of Iraq on these new reforms, emphasizing their implementation at the provincial and national levels. He underscored that these new reforms will help with oversight of the government’s $400 billion capital investment budget.

They are critical to resolve delays that have stalled nearly 4,000 projects and will ensure better prospects for the government to sign sound contracts with reputable companies, thereby significantly reducing disputes, corruption and waste.

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Administrative Reform Project (also known as Tarabot), supports the Government of Iraq’s efforts to build its capacity to deliver better services to Iraqi citizens. http://tarabot-iraq.org/

(Source: Embassy of the United States)

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the United States is providing nearly $155 million in additional humanitarian assistance to displaced and conflict-affected Iraqis within Iraq and throughout the region who are in urgent need of support. This new funding brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Iraq humanitarian response to more than $778 million since the start of Fiscal Year 2014.

Since January 2014, more than 3.4 million Iraqis have been displaced.  Out of a total population of 33 million, the UN estimates that 10 million people across the country are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including an estimated three million living in ISIL-held territory.  More than one million school-aged Iraqi children, or 20 percent nationwide, are out of school.

U. S. humanitarian assistance, provided from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other implementing partners, will help to provide for the urgent needs of millions of vulnerable individuals.

Through UNHCR, and a number of international organizations and non-governmental organizations, this contribution will help offer shelter, protection, core relief items, camp coordination and management assistance; it will also provide much-needed water and sanitation, health care, and other vital food and non-food items.  In addition to assisting conflict-affected Iraqis within Iraq, UNHCR also assists Iraqi refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria.

The USAID Mission in Iraq is seeking applications from qualified individuals interested in providing the PSC services as described in the attached solicitation.

Interested applicants MUST submit the following materials:

• Most current Curriculum vitae or resume
• Completed and hand-signed federal form OF-612 (including OF-612 continuation sheets as needed). The OF-612 can be downloaded from: www.usaid.gov/forms/.
• Three references, who are not family members or relatives, with telephones and e-mail contacts
• Brief appendix to demonstrate how prior experience and/or training address the minimum qualifications and selection criteria shown in the solicitation

Applicants are required to sign the certification at the end of the OF-612. Applications that are received without a signature will not be considered for the position.

Late, incomplete or unsigned applications will NOT be considered.

All applications should be submitted electronically to:
[email protected]

This solicitation will remain open until November 8, 2015.

Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to Mr. Francisco Santos, Supervisory Human Resources Specialist, phone (in Iraq) - Ext 4461 - Email: [email protected]

(Source: FedBizOps)

(Jobs image via Shutterstock)

The Iraqi Ministry of Planning has opened a new Procurement Help Desk to streamline the tendering process.

Speaking at the opening of the facility, US ambassador Stuart E Jones (pictured) made the following statement:

"Thank you for those excellent remarks and thank you for your support to the USAID and embassy teams that have been working so closely with the Ministry of Planning.

"I’m really honored and pleased to be here today with you. And, I’m delighted to celebrate the opening of the Procurement Help Desk; this, of course is a project of the Ministry of Planning in partnership with the U.S. Government.

"Let me tell you about the way things used to be. Before this Help Desk, private contractors and government entities had no place to turn to for guidance on public procurement. Each ministry had its own specific methods of procurement. These processes were often confusing and opaque – and overwhelmed in red tape.

"Let me share this one example. Previously, the Ministry of Electricity applied a complicated procurement process that required 28 steps, this involved more than 15 departments, and took 10 months, and this was for every tender to be prepared and awarded. International suppliers lost confidence in the procurement system and, as a result, spare parts were not delivered on time or were of inferior quality. Vital electricity projects were stalled.

"It doesn’t have to be this way. Now, thanks to the Minister of Planning and his team, there are multiple layers of support for government procurers. The Help Desk provides a library of internationally accepted and common standard bidding documents for other ministries to use. Now, Ministry of Planning staff can ensure that all local and central government authorities apply international standards to contract tenders.

"So, going back to the Ministry of Electricity; with support from the Help Desk, the Ministry of Electricity was able to cut out 23 of the 28 steps in its procurement process. Total procurement time went from 10 months to two months.

"This is a game changer. It sends the message that the government of Iraq is a reliable partner, it sends the message that government bidders are going to get fair treatment, and it sends a message that projects are going to get completed in a speedy fashion.

"Already now, 30 pilot tenders with 17 government institutions have benefited from the Help Desk.

"Transparent procurement creates jobs. Transparent procurement means completion of priority capital investment projects. It means the infrastructure that Iraqi citizens need and use every day – roads, buildings, and power plants - can be contracted fairly and completed more quickly and delivered to higher standards.

"This is exactly the kind of reform that his Excellency, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called for. This is exactly the kind of reform that the people of Iraq want. The Help Desk is now fully in Iraqi hands. And, this is only the beginning of the quest to limit corruption and improve business and investment in Iraq.

"So, your Excellency, I want to thank you for your leadership, for your guidance, for your energy behind this project. I want to thank the team here at the Ministry of Planning for guiding this, for driving this and I want to thank my colleagues at USAID and the Tarabot team for supporting the Ministry of Planning in achieving this objective."

(Source: Embassy of the United States)

By John Lee.

The former president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of a New Jersey-based international engineering consulting company has been sentenced to 12 months of home confinement and fined $4.5 million for conspiring to defraud the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with respect to billions of dollars in contracts over a nearly 20-year period.

Derish Wolff, 79, of Bernardsville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims.

Wolff, the former president and CEO of Louis Berger Group Inc. (LBG), led a conspiracy to defraud USAID by billing the agency on so-called “cost-reimbursable” contracts – including hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts for reconstructive work in Iraq and Afghanistan – for LBG’s overhead and other indirect costs at falsely inflated rates.

(Source: US Dept of Justice)

(Fraud image via Shutterstock)