IRAQ HUMANITARIAN CRISES ANALYSIS 2017 DECEMBER 2017

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1 IRAQ HUMANITARIAN CRISES ANALYSIS 2017 DECEMBER 2017 Each year, Sida conducts a humanitarian allocation exercise in which a large part of its humanitarian budget is allocated to emergencies worldwide. This allocation takes place in the beginning of the year as to ensure predictability for humanitarian organisations and to allow for best possible operational planning. In an effort to truly adhere to the humanitarian principles, Sida bases its allocation decisions on a number of objective indicators and parameters of which the most important are related to the number of affected people, vulnerability of affected people and level of funding in previous years. One of the indicators is also related to forgotten crises in order to ensure sufficient funding to low profile crises. Besides this initial allocation, another part of the humanitarian budget is set aside as an emergency reserve for sudden onset emergencies and deteriorating humanitarian situations. This reserve allows Sida to quickly allocate funding to any humanitarian situation throughout the year, including additional funding to Iraq. For 2018, Iraq is allocated an initial 114 Million Swedish Kronor (MSEK). Close monitoring of the situation in Iraq will continue throughout the year for potentially additional funding or amendments. 1. CRISIS OVERVIEW 1. Conflict Iraq has for decades suffered violence and war. In January 2014, wide-scale violence and armed conflict erupted between Iraqi security forces with its allies and the non-state armed actor IS/Daesh. By the end of 2017 this is expected to be drawing to a close as virtually the whole territory controlled by Daesh has been retaken. The official end of major military operations was declared in November Despite this, the security situation remains volatile in some parts of the country. There are still armed clashes between Iraqi security forces and armed extremists and Daesh is expected to have a number of sleeping cells remaining in the country and asymmetric terror attacks with suicide bombers and vehicle borne bombs are common in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Tensions between the central Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have risen after the independence referendum in September 2017 and hostilities between the two has led to new displacements of civilians. During the Daesh conflict, there were constant extremely serious beaches of International Humanitarian Law and the security forces were unable to protect civilians. Figures, considered to be underestimations, show that between January 2014 and august 2017 almost 30,000 civilians were killed and close to 54,000 injured. In territories controlled by Daesh people were exposed to terror and potential war crimes including systematic use of human shields, and direct targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Women and girls were targeted by Daesh with sexual violence including rape, sexual slavery, and honour killings. The consequences of the current humanitarian crisis are exacerbated by the lingering effects of past conflicts and by long-standing ethnic and sectarian tensions in Iraq and the region. Furthermore, the humanitarian crisis runs alongside a political and governance crisis with weak institutions and widespread corruption. Militias and warlords have increased their political power and new stakeholders who took part in the fight against Daesh is now seeking political reward. Multiple, unpredictable and volatile dynamics will continue in 2018 and Iraq will remain one of the world s largest humanitarian crises. More than four million people have been forcefully displaced since January 2015 and the number of internally displaced people is still over two million. The operation to retake Mosul from Daesh was the largest urban battle since World War II and it was more prolonged and caused greater destruction of infrastructure than initially expected. By the end of the Mosul military campaign the worst case contingency humanitarian planning was surpassed, with over 1 million individuals displaced from the city. Thereafter military offenses to retake the last areas in Anbar Governorate under Daesh control followed, all causing additional displacements and destruction. 1

2 Over 250,000 Iraqis have fled to neighboring countries and around Syrian refugees have sought protection in Iraq, the majority living out of camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Humanitarian needs will undoubtedly remain high in Iraq in 2018 and beyond. At the same time, there is a clear ambition, from the UN and other humanitarian actors, to increasingly focus on the most vulnerable, while care and maintenance assistance will gradually be phased out. UNHCR and other UN agencies will continue key partnerships with government authorities and explore viable options to transition out of humanitarian interventions and pursue the systematic inclusion of people of concern into national development plans and the programs of development-oriented UN agencies and NGOs. UNDP is already implementing a program to support immediate recovery and light infrastructure rehabilitation (The Funding Facility for Stabilization, FFS). The UN is also preparing a Recovery and Resilience Programme (RRP) expected to start in 2018 to support the Iraqi Government with key areas beyond rehabilitation of infrastructure such as DRR, sexual violence survivors, transitional justice, reconciliation and de-radicalisation but also including governance, decentralisation, returns, economic diversification and anti-corruption. Finally, the World Bank is preparing support to reform the social protection system and promote economic recovery Geographical areas and affected population Ninewa and its capital, Mosul, have been most heavily affected by the conflict. Most of Ninewa and parts of Anbar were under Daesh control for up to four years and thereafter suffered extensive destruction in the battles to retake their control. Also, the central governorates of Salah-al Din and Kirkuk in central Iraq have been heavily affected. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is relatively stable but has been greatly affected as the region has hosted a large number of IDPs and also most of the Syrian refugees. A number of groups will be in different ways affected by the crisis in The draft summary of the forthcoming HRP indicate 8.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, with the below breakdown: 1.5 million IDPs in camps and informal settlements will be in need in 2018 and not able to return due to insecurity, political uncertainty and lack of services. 1.7 million are expected to return plus 500,000 who have returned already and all will require assistance. 3,8 million highly vulnerable residents in host communities hosting large numbers of out-of-camp IDPs and people not adequately covered by the social protection systems. 600,000 people who remained in newly accessible and conflict areas during the conflict. 400,000 newly displaced and secondary displaced people as result of asymmetric attacks and new areas of instability Syrian refugees Critical Assumptions, risks and threats The different categories of people in need, depicted in the draft HRP above, all face multiple risks and threats. The global INFORM index places Iraq as number eleven out of 191 countries with a score of 6.8 indicating a very high risk for humanitarian crises that overwhelm national response capacity. IDPs and Syrian refugees, many suffering secondary displacement and having depleted their coping capacities savings, sold off their assets and taken on debts, are increasingly vulnerable and need continued multi-sector assistance in and out of camps while unable to return. About half of the IDPs are living out of camps in informal settlements, and substandard accommodation in unfinished or abandoned buildings in overstrained host communities. Insufficient sanitation and psychosocial trauma associated with displacement and substandard living conditions increase the risks of deteriorated health conditions and increase the psychosocial needs. Resources in host communities dwindle, and in some locations tensions between host communities and displaced families are rising. IDPs from Mosul are mainly in camps and according to surveys by partners many express intentions to remain in camps in 2018 as security, economic, and social vulnerabilities hinder their return. Lack of housing in their areas of origin, and lack of money to reconstruct their homes or to pay rent is the main obstacle. In addition, perceived religious and ethnic tensions in Ninewa 2

3 and insecurity related to the presence of government-affiliated armed groups are increasingly cited by IDPs as reasons for them to remain in displacement. Internal returnees movement to Mosul and other parts of Ninewa is ongoing and large-scale returns are likely during the coming year. As many as two million Iraqis are expected to return to their areas of origin during Conditions in the retaken areas vary, in many cases there is extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, lack of basic services water, electricity, schools and hospitals - and contamination by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Major efforts will be made by the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to incentivize and support returns, but despite that, resources and capacities will be insufficient and secondary displacements of families unable to achieve sustainable return and livelihoods are highly probable. Protection partners emphasise that return must be safe, informed, voluntary and in conditions of dignity to be sustainable. As camps are consolidated and closed, families are pushed to return prematurely and there are reports of both forced returns as well as IDPs denied return by authorities. There are increased concerns about protection of IDPs as some extended families, allegedly associated with Daesh, suffer protracted displacement in dedicated and increasingly militarized IDP camps under strict security conditions with their civil documentation confiscated or destroyed and their freedom of movement restricted. Families are often separated as men and boys are subjected to multiple security screenings, illegal and arbitrary detention or killed. The situation for the female headed households significantly increase the GBV risk for women and girls and hinders access to medical or psychosocial care. The stigmatized groups, indiscriminately perceived as Daesh supporters, are prevented, or not able, to return, totally dependent on humanitarian assistance. They also face severe protection risks and abuse. Protection problems will continue to impact millions of people. Tens of thousands need civil documentation that were never issued in the years of occupation by extremist armed groups or were damaged or lost during the conflict. Having some form of civil documentation is key for freedom of movement and to access government services and social security assistance for displaced and returnee populations. Missing documents and conflicts around housing, land and property rights are other challenges for return. Sectarian and social tension are increasing in the aftermath of the war. The needs for psychosocial support and trauma care are huge, including for families of detainees and missing persons. Iraqi families who fled the war to Syria are now increasingly returning, reasons reported include challenging living conditions and mistreatment by armed groups controlling the refugee camps and the areas around the camps. The returnees are usually transferred to displacement camps and the return movements do not accord with international norms for voluntary repatriation. Lack of security is still a risk to humanitarian operations and the mitigation of these risks generates high costs. High operational costs in combination with increasing bureaucratic hinders to registration and visas impeding access might lead to some humanitarian actors prematurely leaving Iraq. As always in countries with humanitarian needs coupled with institutional weakness and general challenges in societal pillars, such as law, order, stability and justice, corruption is widespread and the humanitarian sector is not spared. According to Transparency International s latest Corruption Perception Index from 2016 Iraq is among the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking 166 out of Strategic Objectives and Priorities of the Country Humanitarian Response Plan The 2018 HRP for Iraq is not yet launched. A draft summary published indicate 8.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and of these 3.4 million targeted. These figures are significantly lower than in 2017 (11 million people in need and 6,2 million targeted.) The financial requirements to implement the HRP is expected to be USD569 million which is 42% less than So far, the 2017 HRP is 77% funded. The assumption is that the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government uphold their humanitarian obligations and, supported by national organizations and religious endowments, will provide the bulk of humanitarian aid. 3

4 The humanitarian partners will focus on protection and support to vulnerable and at-risk civilians with the following five strategic objectives: 1. Supporting highly vulnerable displaced families living in camps and substandard accommodation. 2. Supporting highly vulnerable displaced families who are willing to return to their homes, but are unable to do without assistance. 3. Reaching as many newly displaced and currently accessible families as possible. 4. Supporting highly vulnerable people inadequately covered by the social protection floor 5. Supporting people brutalized by violence to cope and recover. 2. IN COUNTRY HUMANITARIAN CAPACITIES 2.1. National and local capacities and constraints The ultimate responsibility of responding to the crisis in the country lies with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The Governments has shown both willingness and ability to respond to displacement by setting up IDP camps, provision of food rations and cash assistance. However, despite this, the extent of humanitarian needs as well as the budgetary and political crises in Iraq has severely challenged the response capacity. The humanitarian crisis has coincided with persistently low oil prices, whereby the state has lost much of its revenues, and in addition the huge military expenses to fight Daesh has limited the capacities of the authorities to respond to the crisis. In 2014 the Supreme Committee for Relief and Shelter was formed, under the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, as the main body for Government response to the crisis. The Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is the main partner for the refugee and IDP response specific to the Kurdistan Region. The Joint Coordination and Monitoring Centre (JCMC) in Baghdad has the task of coordinating response to the humanitarian crisis within the Government, and between the Government and the United Nations and its partners. Furthermore, the Kurdistan Regional Government established its Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC) to have an institutional response and coordination capacity in the northern part of the country. OCHAs mapping of Who does What, Where (3W) from November 30, 2017 lists 175 humanitarian partners responding to Iraq crisis and 156 partners reporting on HRP projects. In addition, there are many private actors and religious organisations performing charity. The NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) reports 276 NGOs involved in emergency relief and/or development. National NGOs have played an important role in reaching people in need in areas where access has been, and still is, more restrained for international organisations. There is a growing consciousness on the need for a more localized humanitarian response as the emergency turns more into a phase of stabilization and recovery. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) is operating with a nationwide network of branch offices with both staff and volunteers. The IRCS is supported by the International Federation of the Red Cross/Crescent (IFRC) and collaborates with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Some international NGOs focusing their response on Syrian refugees, IDPs and host communities in Kurdistan Region of Iraq have not been registered with the authorities of federal Iraq. Even so, many of these organisations participated in the Mosul response and in humanitarian assistance in the disputed areas under temporary Memorandums of Understanding with the governors. This is no longer possible, and several international NGOs are now struggling with the unwieldy Iraqi bureaucracy to get registered. Many international staff, including at the UN, working from Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq lacked visas to Iraq which brought major problems when the airport in Erbil was closed for international traffic International operational capacities and constraints The United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) declared Iraq a Level 3 humanitarian emergency in 2014 and activated a system-wide emergency response. Prior to this, the humanitarian aid to the Syrian refugees in Iraq was ongoing as part of the regional L3 Syrian crisis including the neighbouring countries. Thus, there were two parallel systems coordinated simultaneously with OCHA coordinating the IDP humanitarian response and UNHCR coordinating the Syrian refugee response in Iraq. In December

5 the IASC Principals at UNHQ in New York agreed to the deactivation of Iraq as a L3 country in December 2017 and a transition phase was initiated The magnitude and complexity of the crisis and the number of humanitarian actors involved in the response places huge demands on good leadership and strong coordination to ensure an effective response. All clusters are active with focal points from the UN and NGOs in leading roles. The Humanitarian Country Team, HCT, has a very strong leadership under the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), and member organizations participate at highest level. The Iraq Humanitarian Fund (IHF) is the third largest globally and is an important tool for locally led response. As Sida has no staff posted in Iraq, the possibilities for participation in the Advisory Board to the IHF or other coordination mechanisms are very limited. There are also a large number of organizations operating outside the cluster system. Major efforts to coordinate with these groups to ensure greater impact and coherence are being made under the leadership of the JCMC and JCC. Sida s partners in Iraq have shown capacity to absorb additional funds and scale up programmes or implement rapid response projects in response to rapid worsening of the crisis or sudden-onset situations International and Regional assistance At this moment, the top humanitarian donors to Iraq include, according to data from OCHA s Financial Tracking System; United States, Germany, the European Commission, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom followed by Sweden ranking seven. Among donors from the region are Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Resources from the Central Emergency Response Fund have been utilized in Iraq in As mentioned there is also assistance provided by NGOs, private donors and religious organisations that is not registered as part of the HRP. Humanitarian assistance to Iraq is also provided as part of the response to the Syria Crisis through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). Several humanitarian donors, including Sweden, also provide substantial funding to stabilization in Iraq, e.g. through UNDP s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS) Access Situation As military operations to retake territory from Daesh are completed, humanitarian access is no longer hindered by direct warfare and airstrikes. Even so, security challenges related to mines, UXOs and booby traps in buildings and installations and permanent risk of terror attacks continue to constrain access. The increased tensions between the central government and KRG and changes in control over the internal boundaries has resulted in new armed actors controlling checkpoints and access. Humanitarian organizations therefore have to re-negotiate access with various forces, some of which have weak command structures leading to unpredictable decisions. Partners report this has in some cases slowed down the response and that closed checkpoints oblige to take long detours to reach people in need. A shift of geographical focus from Kurdistan to west-central Iraq is noted, but still relatively more organizations than justified by needs seems to be present in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. As explained above, some international NGOs that mainly assisted IDPs and host communities in Kurdistan still lack registration in Iraq and the process to obtain it is slow and cumbersome. This is a serious limitation for the possibilities to reach areas in western and central Iraq with major humanitarian needs. The 3W maps give information on operational presence at governorate level. There is a clear tendency of an increasing number of partners present in Ninewa and Anbar. However, these are the geographically largest governorates and presence in Eastern Anbar does not imply access to the populations in need in hard to reach areas in Western Anbar km across the desert. Flexibility, based on needs assessments and possible access, is increasingly important for rapid and effective response. The Iraq Assessment Working Group has recently developed an assessment tool that captures multi-sectoral data on humanitarian conditions for mixed populations groups in villages, towns, and urban neighbourhoods recently opened to humanitarian access or where there is a lack of information. The purpose is to trigger immediate action or prioritize a cluster-specific technical assessment or intervention. Partners providing psychosocial support to survivors of GBV stress the need to assure these services are easily accessible for women and girls, and yet provided with discretion to avoid risk for stigmatization. 5

6 3. SIDAs HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN 3.1. The role of Sida Sida s initial allocation for humanitarian support to Iraq 2017 was 125 MSEK focusing on three areas; i) International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Protection, ii) Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI), and iii) Essential Services: WASH and Health. By the end of November, the disbursed amount had reached MSEK. During the year additional supports have been granted to UNHCR, UNICEF, ICRC and Church of Sweden to scale up the response. The Rapid Response Mechanism has been used by NRC, ACF and Islamic Relief for urgent short projects responding to crisis within the crisis and initial assistance as access to newly liberated areas has opened up. Through the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) support has been provided for specialists seconded to WHO, WFP and UNMAS and for establishment of a Humanitarian Hub outside Mosul Response Priorities 2017 In line with the draft HRP and proposals from Sida s implementing partners it is proposed that Sida in 2018 prioritize humanitarian assistance to the most conflict torn governorates that present the most sever humanitarian needs; (Ninewa, Anbar, Salah-al Din and Kirkuk). Protection of civilians remains vitally important in the Iraqi crisis. Support shall be provided to partners monitoring protection needs, advocating to halt forced or premature returns and abuse in IDP-camps and for assistance to women, men and children in need of protection assistance. Post-distribution monitoring shows that the overwhelming majority of beneficiaries in Iraq prefer cash to inkind assistance. Since 2017 the Iraq HRP has a section on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and cash as a modality is being used by several clusters. The Cash Working Group and the Cash Consortium for Iraq promotes and facilitates cash assistance and provide technical support. Sida will prioritize and support cash based assistance whenever conditions are appropriate. To respond to the most acute humanitarian needs of different groups, support from Sida in 2018 will focus on: Protection - advocacy and promotion of respect of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and international protection standards. Legal assistance, support to survivors of physical and sexual violence. Assistance to IDPs in and out of camps and host communities - shelter, NFI, cash assistance Support to vulnerable people returning to or remaining in hard-hit areas - restoration of basic services and livelihoods, cash assistance 3.3. Partners Coordination of the large-scale and complex humanitarian response in Iraq must be prioritized to ensure effectiveness and further support to OCHA is recommended. Through the Country Based Pooled Fund (Iraq Humanitarian Fund, IHF) Sida can also reach humanitarian actors not receiving direct support from Sida, and IHF is an important tool for support to national NGOs that often have the broadest and deepest outreach. The largest contribution from Sida in 2018 is recommended for ICRC as the organisation is highly important for protection and to promote compliance with IHL and in urging relevant authorities to investigate alleged IHL violations. Among ICRC Iraq priorities for 2018 are monitoring of treatment and living conditions of detainees, work to ascertain the fate of missing persons, including handover of human remains, and familylink services to families separated by conflict. ICRC also provides emergency relief, support primary health care and hospitals, including support to physical rehabilitation for people disabled during the conflict, and increasingly also contribute to early recovery and resilience. Limited cash assistance is provided to female breadwinners. 6

7 Among Sida s multilateral partners UNHCR is key in the Iraq crisis providing assistance and leading the clusters for protection, CCCM and shelter/nfi and as well the cash working group. UNICEF has a multisector approach with emphasis on Child protection, Education and WASH and also provide RRM kits to newly displaced families within 72 hours. Cash transfers is part of the assistance both from UNHCR and UNICEF. IOM has developed a Strategy for Durable Solutions and the Return and Reintegration of Displaced Populations and it is proposed that Sida support two components. The first is an innovative initiative to set up Community Resource and Return Centres in close collaboration with relevant government entities, mainly JCMC. The centres will conduct and publish comprehensive community assessments on vulnerabilities, needs and protection risks and be shared across agencies to ensure comprehensive and coordinated interventions. The assessments will also include mapping of services offered and counselling and referral to available assistance. Finally, the centres will carry out social cohesion and community based activities to address local tensions and contribute to restoring of trust in return areas. The second component proposed for support focus on the immediate need for basic social services in return areas and include both immediate assistance with basic items and shelter support and quick impact projects to restore and improve community services. Eight Strategic NGO Partners have submitted concept notes for 2018 and seven are proposed for support. These are: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is the largest International NGO in Iraq with around 500 national and 60 expatriate staff. From 2017 Sida provides programme based support to NRC for multi-sector assistance covering shelter and settlements, WASH, Education and ICLA (Information, Counselling and Legal assistance). For 2018 NRC plans a gradual shift of focus from short-term assistance to return and recovery programming which will also catalyse a shift from cash transfers to livelihoods programs. NRC is also part of the UNICEF and WFP-led RRM mechanism. Islamic Relief (IR) has been working in Iraq since 1997 and has almost exclusively national staff. The project presented to Sida for 2018 is part of the coordinated humanitarian efforts to address the Mosul crisis and focus on food security and WASH including rehabilitation of two water supply networks in east and west Mosul. Cash for work will be part of the WASH intervention. Islamic Relief also prioritizes education and to prevent and counteract sexual and gender based violence and under-age marriage. Islamic Relief is known to work all over Iraq with good acceptance with access in hard to reach areas such as Western Anbar. International Rescue Committee (IRC) apply for support to geographically expand their work and directly implement emergency GBV response and prevention services for women and girls in Ninewa and Anbar. As few local service providers exist in the areas of recent conflict, IRC also propose to provide GBV training to I/NGOs and local authorities for better coordination and focus on survivors case management. Save the Children propose continued support to child protection structures such as Child Friendly Spaces and Child Protection Committees to support the well-being and resilience of children, parents and communities and promote development of positive coping mechanisms for the future. Activities initiated in 2017 in Kirkuk are proposed to continue on a smaller scale and new geographical priorities are urban areas in Ninewa and IDP camps in Salah-al Din governorates. Swedish Red Cross (SRK), has for several years been involved in a partnership with the Iraqi Red Crescent for the organisational development of the national society and further support is recommended. In 2015, the Swedish Red Cross also initiated an operational partnership with the Iraqi Red Crescent for assistance to conflict affected communities in Ninewa. The proposal for a project in 2018 builds on this and propose interventions to ensure access to safe, potable water and expanding the geographical coverage to include Anbar and Salah-al Din governorates. There is an increased emphasis on recovery and resilience and the proposal includes small-scale cash interventions to support maintenance and repair of WASH-structures. Oxfam has for the first time presented a concept note to Sida for a humanitarian project in Iraq. The proposal is for first line response in rapid onset emergencies through mobile teams responding to urgent life-saving 7

8 needs of displaced populations, often in hard to reach areas, as well as needs of vulnerable returnees in Ninewa, Salah-al Din, Anbar, Kirkuk and Diyala governorates. The first line response usually includes distribution of immediate response rations, water and appropriate NFIs. In some cases, the response will also include quick fixes for WASH structures and referral to peer organizations for second line response or seeking opportunities for wider assistance within Oxfam s program. Church of Sweden has presented a concept note for a WASH-project to be implemented by Norwegian Church Aid in collaboration with a local organization in Western Mosul, RNVDO (Representative for Nineveh Voluntary for IDPs). The project is a continuation of an ongoing partnership between NCA and the local organization. The intervention priority is that the most vulnerable households will be targeted initially with water trucking and later rehabilitation and construction of water sources and distribution systems will follow. Water tanks and sanitation facilities in schools will be rehabilitated or replaced. Toilets will be gender segregated, accessible for disabled students and with internal locks and light to provide for safety and privacy. To create income generation cash for work for street cleaning and garbage collection is included. An asset is that NRC s partner RNVDO has high acceptance, are able to access all areas of Mosul and are able to quickly obtain relevant security information Strategic Funding in Protracted Crises Oxfam and IRC have, in addition to their concept notes for direct crisis response, submitted concept notes for projects aiming at strengthening local humanitarian response. Oxfam intends to support organizational development of selected local NGOs, for them to become more sustainable, access funds on their own, and ultimately, for the humanitarian response in Iraq to be more locally led. Oxfam will also provide small short-term grants to the local NGOs for organizational development and/or response capacity, as well as seed money for piloting new initiatives and tools. IRC has for several years received support from Sida for protection and empowerment of women and girls, initially targeting Syrian refugees but later also IDPs and host communities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. IRC has worked with local organizations to prevent and respond to GBV and provide various types of psychosocial support, life skills activities, recreational and vocational skills to promote healing, reduce stress, and support psychological well-being of women and girls. Over the years IRC has developed strong relationships with communities and will in 2018 focus on technical support and organizational development of local partners preparing for a phase out of IRCs support. Sida supports multi-year humanitarian interventions with one of the following purposes: A. Humanitarian assistance in protracted crises, in line with multi-year Humanitarian Response Plan (only in contexts with multi-year humanitarian planning) B. Transition/phase out of humanitarian assistance (handing over to development and national/local actors according to a proposed plan within a specific time-frame). C. Humanitarian assistance in specifically hard-to-reach areas. Based on the observation that in many of today s humanitarian contexts, few actors tend to have access to those with the greatest needs, Sida would like to encourage partners to build strong and durable relations with concerned stakeholders in a view to facilitate swift and efficient access also to areas considered more challenging to reach Synergies with Long-term Development Aid In July 2017, the Swedish government decided to resume development cooperation with Iraq and set a new strategy for comprising one billion SEK for activities implemented by Sida. The new strategy states that Sweden s development cooperation with Iraq is motivated by the fact that the country is in conflict. A Sida task force, with active participation from the humanitarian unit, conducted joint analysis and planning for the new strategy. Among the objectives to be attained are; Improved resilience in particularly vulnerable areas, focusing on better, gender-equal and equitable access to basic social services and Enhanced capacity to prevent and combat sexual and gender- based violence. These objectives are closely linked to the goals of the humanitarian assistance to Iraq. 8

9 Operationalisation of the strategy is underway and it is expected that several contributions will complement and build on the humanitarian assistance in contributing to stabilization and recovery, enhancing peoples and communities resilience, dealing with underlying causes of the crises and support durable solutions. Possibilities for continued support to some humanitarian partners within the development cooperation are explored e.g. with ICRC. In 2017, UNFPA received 20 MSEK from Sida (development funding) for provision of emergency reproductive health services and support to survivors of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. SIDA s HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IN 2018 Recommended partner Sector/focus of work (incl. integrated or multi sectorial programming) Proposed amount SEK ICRC Non-earmarked Multi-sector; Protection, Assistance, 20,000,000 Prevention, Health, Water and habitat OCHA-IHF Multi-sector including cash transfers 15,000,000 OCHA Coordination 3,000,000 UNHCR Non-earmarked Multi-sector; Shelter, CCCM, Protection, NFI, Multi-Purpose Cash 14,000,000 UNICEF Non-earmarked Multi-sector; Child Protection, 13,000,000 Education, Health, Water IOM Multi-sector; Shelter/NFI. Support for return 10,000,000 NRC, Norwegian Non-earmarked Multi-sector; WASH, Shelter, Education, 13,000,000 Refugee Council Legal assistance, Livelihoods, Cash transfers Islamic Relief Food security, WASH including Cash for work 9,000,000 SRK, Swedish Red Cross Support the Iraqi Red Crescent distribution of food and 4,000,000 NFIs SRK, Swedish Red Cross Organisational Development of the Iraqi Red Crescent 4,000,000 Oxfam First line distribution of food, water and NFIs. WASH 4,000,000 Save the Children Child protection and Education 4,000,000 IRC, International Protection and empowerment of women and girls, GBV 3,000,000 Rescue Committee Church of Sweden Norwegian Church Aid WASH, Waste management including Cash for work 3,000,000 TOTAL: 119,000,000 Recommended partner Oxfam IRC, International Rescue Committee ADDITIONAL MULTI YEAR RESILIENCE FUNDING Transition/phase out of humanitarian assistance Building local humanitarian leadership Phase out and hand over of Protection and empowerment of women and girls in Kurdistan Proposed amount SEK 2018 Proposed amount SEK 2019 Proposed amount SEK ,000,000 4,000,000 5,000,000 2,500, Total 7,500,000 4,000,000 5,000,000 Key References: The Executive Summary of Iraq Humaniatarian Response Plan, 2018 Syria Crisis through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), Who does What, Where (3Ws) in Iraq, November 30,