OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Iraq humanitarian Update
Report for December 2007
16 January 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Did you know?

- Every one in four Iraqi children under the age of five is chronically 
malnourished.

- Four million people in Iraq are considered food insecure and in need 
of food assistance.

- An estimated 2.4 million people are internally displaced in Iraq 
today.

- Only one in three Iraqi children under the age of five have access to 
safe drinking water.


OVERVIEW: Highlights of the Month

- Some IDPs and refugees continue to return, but it is difficult to 
ascertain exact numbers. Iraqi authorities report that 30,000 families 
have returned from abroad. Currently, the UN does not encourage or 
promote return.

- Slowing displacement rates and recent return movements have not 
resulted in a net decrease in the size of the IDP population of a 
recorded 2.4 million people.

- No new cholera cases were reported at the end of the year. 
Transmission intensity in the north has been slowing down, but was 
steeply increasing in Baghdad prior to December.

- Civilian casualty figures decreased in December, due to limited 
security improvements. Still, civilians' right to life and security 
remains under threat.

- Urgent needs among vulnerable groups include lack of protection and 
access to essential social services.


HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT

The civilian population in Iraq currently faces one of the most complex 
and violent situations in the world. The escalating protection crisis 
continues to cause urgent humanitarian needs among vulnerable groups and 
is characterized by grave violations of human rights and international 
humanitarian law.

The primary protection concerns for civilians in Iraq today are the 
right to life and security, and access to essential social services. The 
humanitarian situation affects not only internally displaced persons 
(IDPs), but other vulnerable groups like host communities, children and 
female headed households, people living in areas where access is 
limited, and those who continue to live amidst the ongoing violence and 
insecurity.

Coordination

In December, a new coordination structure for the UN Country Team for 
Iraq and its partners took effect, with the aim to better reflect joint 
priorities and alignment with the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), 
improve coherence of the UN and partners' activities, and strengthen 
unified leadership and equitable partnerships in line with the Inter 
Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidance on how to deliver more timely 
and effective humanitarian assistance.

A Policy Group has been formed in Baghdad to cover the thematic areas of 
Essential Social Services, Protection, Governance and Economic 
Development, to increase the UN's substantive presence in Baghdad. In 
Amman, Sector Outcome Teams, including both UN and NGO partners, have 
replaced the previous clusters (Note: the earlier cluster system in Iraq 
was different from the IASC Cluster Approach). The Sector Outcome Teams 
related to the humanitarian response are: Education, WATSAN, Health and 
Nutrition, Housing and Shelter, Food Security and Protection.

Security & Access

Humanitarian access to vulnerable populations in Iraq remains limited, 
particularly in the central and southern governorates. Lack of security 
creates a volatile operating environment, and continues to at least 
partly impede the timely, effective and principled delivery of 
humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations is working through partners, national and 
international NGOs, and in support of the efforts of the Government of 
Iraq, to protect the civilian population. There are approximately 32 
humanitarian international NGOs (INGOs) currently operating in Iraq, 
either through direct presence or implementing partners, according to 
information obtained by OCHA.

The level of humanitarian access varies among all 18 governorates. Type 
of access constraints include:

- Lack of sufficient recognition by relevant authorities of vulnerable 
groups' urgent humanitarian needs, beyond the needs resulting from 
displacement.

- Restrictions on the free movement of humanitarian personnel and goods.

- Deliberate targeting of humanitarian personnel and assets.

- Insecurity due to combat and military operations, and a general 
atmosphere of criminality and lawlessness.

- Limited, dilapidated or damaged infrastructure.

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=1A3FA49AF235B6DCC12573D2003227C5&file=Full_Report.pdf


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