The U.S.-Iraq Greater Coordinating Committee assembly in Washington, co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and International Minister Fuad Hussein, underscored the breadth of U.S. assist for Iraq. America, by way of its strategic partnership with the Republic of Iraq, seeks to advance mutual goals of a steady, safe, sovereign, and unified Iraq. By means of these packages, which convey technical experience from throughout the U.S. authorities (USG), United Nations, NGOs, and personal sector, we assist the Authorities of Iraq in assembly the wants of all its residents, together with those that are a part of its most weak and marginalized communities. Over the previous decade the USA has been Iraq’s most vital companion in improvement and humanitarian help. Since 2014, the USA has invested practically $3.4 billion in humanitarian help to assist Iraqis get well from the destruction of ISIS. As we transfer ahead, we’re working collectively to foster stability, to speed up and broaden financial alternatives, to bolster Iraq’s democracy, and to assist the federal government meet the wants of all Iraqis. Final 12 months alone, the USA offered $150 million in improvement help and $285 million in humanitarian help for Iraq.
- Financial Reform, Personal Sector, Development: The USG has a sturdy portfolio of help directed at diversifying the Iraqi financial system, creating extra financial alternatives for Iraqis, and strengthening the enabling atmosphere for financial development. USG actions embrace:
- Supporting enterprise incubators, start-ups, and entrepreneurs in quite a lot of sectors
- Decreasing boundaries to entry capital
- Regulation reform
- Business legislation improvement
- Fiscal transparency
- Local weather Change, Vitality, and Water: Based on the United Nations Setting Programme, Iraq is the fifth most weak nation on the earth attributable to decreased water and meals availability and excessive temperatures, which is able to negatively have an effect on meals safety, water safety, well being safety, and social well-being within the nation. To assist Iraq’s resilience to local weather change, modernize its power sector, and develop efficient water administration insurance policies, USG actions embrace:
- Supporting and selling the seize of flared gasoline
- Investing in clear and renewable power
- Enhancing rules to assist local weather adaptation
- Growing authorities capability to handle local weather challenges
- Rising the effectivity of pure gasoline energy crops to realize higher energy manufacturing with the identical, if not much less, gasoline
- Growing good grids that work with renewable power sources
- Bolstering water administration utilizing trendy irrigation strategies powered by photo voltaic power
- Cultural Heritage Packages: The USG maintains robust relationships with key historic preservation organizations in Iraq to permit museums and conservators to spotlight Iraq’s wealthy historical past and cultural range. USG actions embrace:
- Supporting Iraqi consultants to be taught the newest conservation methods
- Repairing and restoring essential cultural heritage websites
- Digitizing and documenting artifacts and historic paperwork
- Greater Schooling Packages: America helps non-public Iraqi establishments of upper schooling on their paths to realize accreditation. A portion of the grants have been utilized to advertise ladies in schooling. In 2022, this program additionally supported 300 college students from the American College of Afghanistan to attend the American College of Iraq, Sulaimani. America additionally facilitates partnerships between U.S. and Iraqi larger schooling establishments to higher put together Iraqi youth for fulfillment within the twenty first century financial system. Moreover, we assist a lot of workforce improvement packages, offering Iraqi youth with the abilities crucial for fulfillment within the quickly altering world office.
- COVID-19 Response: On August 14, 2021, the USA donated 503,100 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines by way of the COVID-19 Vaccines World Entry (COVAX) initiative. As of November 2021, the USA has offered Iraq greater than $64 million in COVID-19 help.
- Humanitarian Help: America is the most important supplier of humanitarian help to Iraq. Humanitarian wants persist in Iraq and additional life-saving help is critical for internally displaced individuals, weak Iraqis, returnees, refugees, and individuals prone to statelessness. USG actions with reduction companies embrace:
- Offering ingesting water, shelter, and meals help
- Making certain entry to important healthcare and psychological well being and psychosocial assist (MHPSS)
- Serving to weak Iraqis get again to work and faculty
- Increasing entry to civil documentation, which helps present long-term options to displaced populations
For additional data, please contact Mark Weiner at WeinerMS@state.gov.
