Iraq seeks $90bn for reconstruction
NGO CONFERENCE FOR IRAQ WINS $330.130mn IN PLEDGES Mogherini: EU will work with Kuwait for success of KICRI
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 12, (Agencies): Iraq needs nearly $90 billion to rebuild after three years of war with the Islamic State group, officials said Monday, with large parts of the country in ruins and tens of thousands left homeless.
As a three-day international reconstruction conference got underway in Kuwait, officials were seeking pledges from donors and investors to restore Iraq’s devastated homes, schools, hospitals and economic infrastructure.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was joining the conference after holding talks on Monday in Cairo where he launched his latest Middle East tour.
The State Department has said it will not be making “direct contributions” to finance the reconstruction efforts but that over 150 American companies would travel to Kuwait as part of its private sector drive for the conference.
Baghdad declared victory against IS in December, after Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, regained control of the large parts of the country seized by the jihadist group in mid-2014. Aid groups made pledges of $330 million on the first day of the conference, but officials said much more was needed. Planning Minister Salman al-Jumaili said an assessment by Iraqi and international experts put reconstruction costs at $88.2 billion (71.8 billion euros).
“The funds will be initially used to reintegrate displaced people and also for rebuilding the infrastructure of public services,” the minister told AFP. Mustafa al-Hiti, the head of Iraq’s reconstruction fund, said some work had started but that funds were needed urgently to restore basic infrastructure and services in many provinces. “What we have accomplished is less than one percent of what Iraq needs,” Hiti said.
“We have more than 138,000 houses damaged, more than half this number completely destroyed,” Hiti said, adding that more than 2.5 million Iraqis are still displaced.
After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of IS, Iraqi forces regrouped with foreign help, eventually forcing the jihadists out of its territory including second city Mosul.
But the fightback left much of the country devastated. In Mosul, entire city blocks were reduced to rubble.
The IS takeover also dealt a heavy blow to Iraq’s economy.
The country sits on some of the world’s largest crude reserves, which Baghdad puts at 153 billion barrels, but the war and a slump in world prices have diminished its oil revenues.
Raja Rehan Arshad of the World Bank said investment is required across sectors, with more than $17.4 billion needed for housing alone. Nearly $30 billion is needed to restore energy and industrial infrastructure, he said.
The conference brings together hundreds of representatives of countries, aid groups, UN agencies and corporations.
NGOs pledge $330m
A total of $330.130 million is the total amount of pledges announced at the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Conference to Support the Humanitarian Situation in Iraq, to be concluded later Monday.
The Conference convened with the attendance of Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The pledges came out as follows: Kuwait: Zakat House and the Awqaf General Secretariat ($35 million), Salam Charity Society ($15 million), Islamic International Charity Organization ($10 million), Kuwaiti Aid Society ($10 million), Najat Charity ($10 million), Direct Aid Society ($10 million), Al Eslah Society ($10 million), Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage ($10 million), Abdullah Al-Nouri Society ($5 million), Patients Helping Fund Society ($5 million), Red Crescent Society ($2.5 million). International: International Committee of the Red Cross ($130 million in programs), Human Appeal of the UK ($30 million), Qatari Education Above All Foundation ($13.5 million), Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency ($10 million), United Iraqi Medical Society ($5.1 million), Qatar Charity ($5 million) French charity ($4 million) Islamic Relief of the UK ($4 million) Muslim World League ($2.7 million). In addition to $4 million from a French Muslim society and another $4 million from an Iraqi organization.
Participants in the conference to support the humanitarian situation in Iraq recommended meanwhile to implement humanitarian and development programs, worth 335 million dollars, in Iraqi areas affected by armed conflicts.
In their final communique, participants emphasized on the need to have such programs distributed in areas of health, shelter, education, rehabilitation and other humanitarian fields, stressing on the need to respond to the humanitarian situation in Iraq, particularly in
affected areas.
The officials stressed importance of setting up a mechanism to follow up on the outcome of the conference through regular meetings and followup on the implementation of these humanitarian programs, through quarterly reports in the coming years.
Participants also called for donor organizations to implement and supervise their programs in cooperation and coordination with Iraqi local authorities in order to promote the principle of transparency and to make maximum use of those affected by relief and development programs.
Participants stressed on the need as well to continue to consolidate and strengthen humanitarian partnership efforts in adopting relief programs to support basic needs of Iraqis, and to help displaced Iraqis in various areas.
Participants stressed the importance of prioritizing relief and development programs to the most affected areas without neglecting the rest of the affected areas indirectly and that contributing organizations follow-up through reports on progress they made.
The NGOs also called on the Iraqi Government to expand its support and facilities for NGOs to carry out their humanitarian responsibilities in the implementation of relief and development programs.
They called on Iraqi authorities to provide accurate information and data on the humanitarian situation in Iraq and to draw up plans, programs, and priorities regarding the humanitarian situation there.
Participants underlined the importance of working to strengthen Iraqi civil society capabilities.
NGOs called for condemning various forms of terrorism, fanaticism, extremism, and sectarianism, regardless of its source, and to uphold the values of tolerance, coexistence, religious and cultural diversity among all Iraqi people.
And finally, NGOs expressed their thanks and appreciation for the initiative by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to host this conference, expressing their hope that the conference will contribute to the revival and growth of Iraq once again.
Holding Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Conference to Support the Humanitarian Situation in Iraq manifests Kuwait’s belief in humanitarian action, said Abdullah Al-Maatouq, chairman of the Islamic International Charity Organization (IICO) on Monday.
His remark came during a speech at the opening of the Conference, noting that by holding such gathering, Kuwait is drumming up efforts in order to help “heal Iraq’s wounds” as Kuwait is “following a steady and methodical approach” to preserve international peace and security while easing plight of the suffering.” Three years passed with more than five million displaced Iraqis live harsh and almost inhumane conditions, he noted, adding “but with $200 million in aid from Kuwait, a new window of hope was open.” The Conference kicked off earlier today to tackle latest developments in the humanitarian situation.
It coincides with Kuwait’s hosting of the International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq.
The conference is being held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti government. EU to partner Kuwait EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini on Monday has expressed her thanks to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for inviting her to represent the 28-member EU and co-chair Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq (KICRI) from Feb 12 to 14.
“I am very grateful to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait for having invited me, as representative of the European Union, to co-chair the Conference. We will work together to make it a success, for the sake of the Iraqi people, but also for our entire region, including Europe. We all share an interest in a lasting stability and prosperity of Iraq,” she said in a exclusive written interview with the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
“In Kuwait, the European Union and the international community will confirm that we will stand by the people of Iraq, as they write a new page in the history of their country,” stressed the EU foreign policy chief.
She underlined that “in this delicate moment, the conference gathers all friends of Iraq, from the region and beyond, around one shared commitment; we want to support Iraq and the Iraqi people to rebuild the country — not just its buildings, but its society, its education system, its institutions.” Noting that Iraq is at a critical juncture of its history, Mogherini said “the government, army and people of Iraq worked hard for the territorial defeat of DA’ESH. It is now time to consolidate the gains against DA’ESH and ‘win the peace’, so we are ready to contribute — as we did so far — with our support to the stabilisation and reconstruction of the country.” The EU High Representative lauded Kuwait as “a force for moderation and dialogue in the region.
“Against the background of rising regional tensions, Kuwait’s engagement has helped prevent a greater escalation. It is a truly precious contribution, in difficult times like ours, and our cooperation has become even more intense than before,” she said.
Mogherini highlighted that “Kuwait has also become an important humanitarian actor — not only in Iraq but also in Syria and elsewhere. It contributes to conflict resolution, early recovery and relief, with political, financial and logistical support.” She carried on saying that Kuwait’s recent decision to fund the UN agency UNRWA’s operations in Syria couldn’t be more timely, in a crucial moment for the Agency and for Palestinian refugees.
“We are keen in this regard to strengthen our coordination with Kuwait, including within the United Nations Security Council, where the country is serving as non-permanent member,” she said.
Mogherini announced that this year the EU will deepen its cooperation with Kuwait. “We see in Kuwait a partner and a friend in the Gulf region. We have intensified our relations over the past years, with the signature of a Cooperation Arrangement in 2016. This year I expect to deepen our common work on the economy, energy and humanitarian action,” she said.
Turning to EU’s ties with the sixmember GCC, she said “we have always valued our engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council as a forum, as well as with its individual members.