United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (pictured) of the Netherlands as his Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). She will succeed Ján Kubiš of Slovakia, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his service. Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert brings over 20 years […]
The Netherlands has contributed an additional USD 23.2 million (EUR 20 million) to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS), which finances fast-track initiatives to stabilize areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This brings the Netherlands’ total contribution to USD 65.4 million (EUR 57 million). Marta Ruedas, Deputy Special Representative […]
The Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, received the Netherlands new Consul General to the Kurdistan Region, Mr. Willem Consijn and his accompanying delegation. Consul General Consijn stressed his country’s willingness to strengthen the relations with the Kurdistan Region. Prime Minister Barzani congratulated Consul General Consijn on his new position and wished him success […]
By John Lee. Fly Erbil, Iraq's only Kurdish airline, successfully completed its first scheduled flight on Monday. The plane set off from Erbil International Airport en route to Stockholm in Sweden. The airline’s administrative director Ahmad Jamal told AFP that Fly Erbil currently has three planes and plans to increase to 10 in the future. […]
By John Lee. Having sold its stake in the West Qurna 1 project to Japan’s Itochu, Shell is now said to be "fully committed" to the giant Basra Gas Company (BGC), which captures gas from Iraq's southern oilfields. Frits Klap, managing director of BGC, told Reuters that processing capacity has more than tripled to 938 […]
By John Lee. Iraq is reportedly ramping up efforts to expand capacity to pump and export oil. Ihsan Abdul Jabbar, the director-general of state-run Basra Oil Company, told Bloomberg that Iraq is seeking bids from six companies for a $4-billion project to inject seawater into its southern oil fields, and the country has already received […]
A customised Damen cutter suction dredger, type CSD500, has been named by her owner, Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), at the Damen Dredging yard in the Netherlands. Immediately after the ceremony, the dredger was made ready for transport and towed to Rotterdam, from where it was shipped to Port of Umm Qasr, Iraq. The dredger’s first […]
The Government of Netherlands has contributed an additional USD 14.2 million (EUR 12 million) to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS), which finances fast-track initiatives to stabilize areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Netherlands is currently the fourth largest donor supporting stabilization work in Iraq, with a total […]
By John Lee. Two companies have won a tender to supply handheld GPS and compasses to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Iraq. The contract with Netherlands-based GRAIDCO Global Relief Aid and Development Company is valued at $27,310, while the contract with US-based US21, Inc. is valued at $18,320. (Source: UNGM)
The Netherlands is supporting reforms in the Kurdistan Region with a contribution to its Funding Facility for Economic Reform The Kingdom of the Netherlands is contributing nearly US$270,000 (€250,000) towards the implementation of the Economic Reform Roadmap, developed by the World Bank in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq […]
By John Lee. According to a report from Reuters, Anglo-Dutch Shell has signed a $210-million contract with US-based Halliburton to drill 30 wells at the Majnoon field over the next three years. The contract is expected to raise output at the field from 220,000 barrels per day currently to about 400,000 bpd in three years. (Source: Reuters)
By John Lee. Netherlands-based fruit and vegetable grower Levarht has sent its first air-freight shipment to Iraq, which arrived at Erbil airport. The company said it expects to make weekly shipments of high-quality fruit and vegetables, including soft fruit, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, lettuce and potatoes. A spokesperson said that because of the unrest in […]
