If a link in the NCCI newsletter is not wo rki ng anymore, it might be because the sou rce of the document remove it from their website. Generally you can find it clicking here EDITORIAL Issue 45- 14 December 2006 ------Wanted: UN Coordinator to coordinate coordinators

For many months, NGOs have requested UN agencies to work on an updated Contingency Plan, to cope with the reality and scale of the humanitarian crisis.

More than 8 months after the official request which arose from an NCCI

GHT workshop, at least 4 consultants have been working these weeks in Amman to I update the Interagency Consolidated Plan, and the contingency plans of

L UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO. We welcome these initiatives showing that UN agencies are realizing what the H needs on the ground are. In addition, these sudden actions might denote that Agencies are expecting a further deterioration of the situation and would like to

G improve their preparedness. Fair enough.

I But we would have more welcomed a coordinated strategy instead of a competition between agencies. Moreover increased coordination would have certainly been more efficient. Indeed, the gathering and integrating of all H initiatives, ideas and efforts is needed to seek solutions to the problems posed

Y by the difficulties of access or by the military approach of the “humanitarian intervention” which jeopardizes humanitarian organisations’ efforts. L

K According to the UN resolution 1546, the main mandate of UNAMI is political, through the support of the Iraqi Government. But UNAMI also has a mandate E to coordinate UN Agencies and deliver humanitarian assistance. E If UN agencies cannot coordinate amongst themselves, or with the International Community’s political pressures, their Head-Quarter’s wishes and the reality on the ground, how can they succeed to define a coordinated

W strategy? I Today the Government of Iraq lost most of its credibility and power and appears closer to collapse than ever due to continual fights for leadership and power. While political blocs are daily criticizing or suspending their participation in the Government, perhaps it would be time for the United Nations to show its independence and neutrality.

NCC In the mean time, Iraq is on the brink of chaos and to a sustainable and durable humanitarian crisis. While Iraqis are suffering on a daily basis of a lack of services, fundamental rights and basic needs, perhaps it would be time for the International Community to stand supporting the Iraqi people, and to reverse the UN mandate in favor of a more significant humanitarian intervention.

Twelve years of sanctions against Iraqis have weakened the UN position in the country. In addition, since 2003 most Iraqis have understood the UN strategy and position as an implicit support to Americans, which has ended the little hope and trust that might have still existed for UN trustworthiness, integrity and authority. Today the United Nations has an inestimable chance to re-gain part of its credibility in Iraq. But it would need an unconditional support to the Iraqis through a strong opposition to those who want to divide or economically exploit Iraq’s resources; a clear and coherent strategy; and strong acts to strengthen its neutrality and independence.

Except in some parts of Iraq that can be considered as safer, it is not a post-conflict situation anymore. There are lots of conflicts in Iraq today and the International Community should define its strategy accordingly.

The support to vulnerable needs coordinated actions to be accountable; the path to Peace needs a global, inclusive and coordinated strategy in line with the reality on the ground and not with diplomatic agendas.

…

“We must be p r epared to make heroic sacrifices f or t he cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war” (Albert Einstein)

------Salam NCCI Team

NCCI Weekly Highlight 2 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

______Humanitarian Updates From NCCI, NGOs’ reports from the field and UN agencies

Advocacy

- Louis Michel’s answer to the NGOs working in Iraq Source: European Commission Document: Letter Date: December 13, 2006 Access: Members Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, answers to Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Iraq calling on DG ECHO to provide adequate funding for emergencies and humanitarian aid

- As ‘major catastrophe’ looms over Iraq, UN envoy urges regional approach to peace Source: UN News Service Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open With Iraq at the brink of civil war, some 5,000 people dying each month and a major humanitarian catastrophe looming, the senior United Nations envoy to the country today said the region and the international community must come together in support of a solution. Recent initiatives aimed at promoting dialogue “have had no impact on the violence and bloodshed,” he added. “The violence seems out of control.”

- Politics skews crisis reporting, says study Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: December 13, 2006 Access: Open If you're looking for evidence that humanitarian issues are neglected and sometimes manipulated in press coverage of conflicts, you'll find it in a new report commissioned by the British Red Cross. It says reporting on humanitarian crises has a tendency to be sensationalist and driven by political concerns. Reporting was often used to back up arguments on the pros and cons of military involvement, and focused on Western concerns and the international community, largely ignoring local complexities, the study says. In some cases, the difficulties faced by aid workers were used to try to bring about a particular political response - such as calls for international intervention in Darfur. In other cases like Iraq, political dynamics meant the role of aid agencies was largely ignored.

- Iraqi Refugees: Critical Needs Remain Unmet Source: Refugees International

Humanitarian Highlights Document: Recommendations Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Over 1.8 million Iraqi refugees are currently spread throughout the Middle East, with the largest concentrations in Syria and Jordan and sizable populations in Lebanon and Egypt. The governments of these host nations are reluctant to publicly acknowledge a growing refugee crisis and therefore provide Iraqis with no official status and few social services. The international community is similarly in denial over the existence of an Iraqi refugee crisis, and has provided few resources to address the needs of this expanding population. It is essential that host nations, supported by donor governments and the UN, establish programs aimed at responding to the needs of Iraqi refugees.

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- Children suffer most in Iraq, says Unicef report Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Children in Iraq are some of the most deprived in the Middle East, according to a report released by the United Nations children's agency (Unicef) on Monday. Using under-five mortality rates as a critical indicator of the well being of children, the report ranked the country 33rd worst in a global survey of 190 countries.

- Women’s rights essential to Iraq’s recovery Source: UNICEF Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Iraqi women need urgent action to protect and promote their rights, UNICEF’s Iraq Office said today. The call follows the launch of a global UNICEF report saying that equal rights for women is the key to stronger societies.

The UNICEF Global Report on the State of World’s children 2007

- Gender Equality in Arab World Critical for Progress and Prosperity Source: UN News Service Document: Article Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open Women in the Arab world are still denied equality of opportunity, although their disempowerment is a critical factor crippling the Arab nations' quest to return to the first rank of global leaders in commerce, learning and culture, according to a new United Nations-sponsored report released today.

The UNDP Report “Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World”

- Freedom from Poverty is a Human Rights and not a Matter of Compassion Source: UN News Service Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open The Universal Declaration of Human Rights rings hollow to the millions of people around the world who have to struggle in extreme poverty, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today as he called for progress on human development to go hand in hand with advances in security and human rights.

Humanitarian Operational Space

- What's wrong with aid? Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open A controversial book by the Norwegian former head of relief agency Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) says politics has hijacked humanitarianism. He says the state funding these organisations take compromises their claims to independence, especially in instances when donors have not been neutral.The aid organisations in Rostrup's line of fire say that his attacks are simplistic and that longer-term aid and relief operations can't avoid juggling the political considerations he criticises. But Rostrup draws a hard line between development aid and humanitarian relief, and laments that the boundary is getting blurrier by the day as aid workers choose to mix solidarity work with emergency relief and political pragmatism with independent humanitarianism.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 4 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- In Fallujah, Marines bring goodwill, but trouble can follow Source: Christian Science Monitor Document: Article Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open While their weapons were ready, this was a mission about charity. The US Marines weren't entering a hospital in downtown Fallujah to root out insurgents, they were going there simply to help. But any interaction with American forces can prove deadly for Iraqis, and these marines received an uneasy welcome. And already, the presence of a Marine observation post, built adjacent to hospital grounds just days before the mission, had cut the number of patients coming to the hospital from 35 a day to just five.

- La guerra civile irachena – In Italian Source: ICS Document: Interview Date: December 13, 2006 Access: Open Puoi dirci, in qualità di coordinatore locale in Iraq, se i progetti di ICS riescono a svolgersi in modo regolare? Nonostante le innumeroveli difficoltà e i considerevoli rischi, stiamo riuscendo a portare avanti lo svolgimento delle attività previste nel piano di lavoro. Continuiamo con gli interventi di distribuzione alimentare, di monitoraggio degli sfollati e stiamo per avviare un nuovo progetto di rafforzamento delle organizzazioni locali nell’ambito della trasformazione del conflitto e della prom ozione di iniziative a sostegno del dialogo inter-etnico.

Humanitarian Assistance

- NGO Presentation and Activities Source: Iraqi NGO Document: Report Date: October 1, 2006 Access: Members Presentation and activities of an Iraqi NGO working mainly in central area.

- Facilitating contact between detainees and their families Source: ICRC Document: Press Release Date: December 13, 2006 Access: Open In its efforts to facilitate contact between detainees held by the multinational forces in Iraq and their families, the ICRC has begun providing financial aid to families visiting their next of kin at the British internment facility in Shaibah, near Basrah.

- MoT preparedness – In Arabic Source: Bint Al Rafidain Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Ministry of Transportation formed a committee to study emergency preparedness for food supplies and an crisis operation room to coordinate the distribution of food

- NGOs-Health Cluster Meeting Source: WHO-Iraq Document: Minutes of meeting Date: November 22, 2006 Access: Members Minutes of the NGOs-Health cluster meeting that have been held on the 22nd of November in Amman.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 5 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Post-February IDP Governorate Report – Missan Source: IOM-Iraq Document: Report Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open An alarming increase in displacement due to heightened tensions after the bombing of the Askariya shrine in Samarra on February 22, 2006 brought to light the need for comprehensive, thorough monitoring and assessments of recently-displaced populations. IOM has been assessing IDPs displaced since February 22 in the central and lower 15 governorates in Iraq. The monitors use IDP Rapid Assessment Templates for both IDP groups and individual IDP families. The IDP Rapid Assessment Template addresses a number of issues and needs, including food, health care, water and sanitation, documentation, and property, and the templates outline the IDPs’ future intentions. Monitors visit IDP tribal and community leaders, local NGOs, local government bodies, and individual IDP families to gather information and complete the templates. Once the information is gathered, it is then entered into a database for analyzing. All reports available are here.

- Displaced Need Food and Water in Impoverished Missan Governorate Source: IOM Document: Statement Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open Many Iraqis who are being forced to flee sectarian violence in the volatile governorates in central Iraq are heading to the relatively stable but extremely poor governorate of Missan, where they are in urgent need of food and water, according to a newly-released report by IOM. Almost 30% of recently-displaced families interviewed in Missan governorate said that they do not have regular access to water, a much higher percentage than in other governorates. Some people rely on streams or broken water pipes as their main source of water.

- IDPs report on recent displacement - New Update Source: IOM-Iraq Document: Report Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Members IOM’s update on IDPs displaced since February 22 in the central and southern 15 governorates. In this report, is included updated information based on our monitors’ three-month summary report of the situation in each governorate. This includes updates on shelter and issues unique to specific governorates. As always, also included in the report is IOM’s IDP emergency assistance response for each governorate to date. IOM would like to call your attention to the additional information provided for Kerbala regarding the recent order by the local authorities requiring specific steps for any IDPs wishing to enter the governorate.

- The New Eden Master Plan for Integrated Water Resources Management in the Marshlands Area Source: Nature Iraq Document: Database Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open The purpose of the New Eden Master Plan for Integrated Water Resources Management in the Marshlands Area (hereafter the Plan) is to assist Iraqi Policy Makers by providing sound information and analytical tools with which to make reasoned choices regarding water resource allocation and environmental management decisions. Accordingly, the Plan pursues a holistic and integrated approach to address multiple issues simultaneously. The issues addressed include improvement in water utilization efficiency, environmental restoration, economic enhancement, flood control, and community building for returning peoples.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 6 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

______-----__ Iraq situation Through some general reports and articles

General Overview

- Iraq Crisis Report (IraqHAR) Source: Centre of Excellence on Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Document: Weekly report Date: December 14, 2006 Access: Open A weekly Iraq humanitarian assistance report Compiled by Pacific Disaster Management Information Network

- Juan Cole’s informed comment’s excerpts Source: Informed Comment – Juan Cole’s Web Blog. Document: Selection of daily comments Date: December 8th to 14th 2006 Access: Open Juan Cole is a Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History at the University of Michigan. As such he brings daily much needed expertise and historical perspective to issues surrounding Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

- "Today Is Better than Tomorrow" Source: Tom Dispatch – Dahr Jamail Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Iraq as a Living Hell. What I know from these emails is that the articles on Iraq you normally read in your local newspaper, even when, for instance, they cover the disintegration of the Iraqi health system or the collapse of the economy, are providing you, at best, but a glimpse of what daily life there is now like. After all, who knows better what's happening than those who are living it? "It is worse than ever. The problem is that our U.S. government and the Iraqi ‘Government' tell the world that things are improving here when they are not. All of the rebuilding bull crap is nothing but a scam that is worse than the oil-for-food program [of the post-Gulf War I years].

Peace and Non-Violence

- Iraqis Seek to Stem Sectarian Violence Source: The Nation Document: Article Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open Though Iraqis complained that the November 30 meeting here between President Bush and Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki failed to provide any real results, it didn't stop people here from holding out hope. Even talks between Iraqi insurgent representatives and members of the US-backed government were postponed to see whether Bush would announce a change of course, as some had expected.

- Give Peace a Chance Source: Uruknet Document: Opinion Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open Peace campaigners Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Sing Sooden of the Christian Peacemakers, have 'unconditionally' forgiven those who took them hostage in Iraq and desire no 'retribution' against them. Thank you Mr Kember and colleagues. An 'eye for an eye', simply leads to haemorrage and more deaths. The modern day equivalent of 'love thy neighbour', is grown up diplomacy, politicians big enough to admit mistakes - and war crimes trials for the real criminals, in high places, who took the US and UK to war on a stack of lies. Nuremberg, anyone?

NCCI Weekly Highlight 7 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Arab Network for Rule of Law – In Arabic Source: ARCLI Document: Report Date: December 4, 2006 Access: Open Report about the Arab Center or rule of law and integrity workshop and the launching of the Arab network for rule of law and independence of judiciary

Human Living Conditions

- Lucky You! Source: An Arab Woman Blues Document: Blog Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, the "living" or more aptly the "surviving" Iraqis envy the Dead. Some miles away cherish Life and hold on to it and some wish it's clement ending. A crazy paradox ? I don't know. All I know is from whichever way one looks at it- It's lucky You.

- Widows Become the Silent Tragedy Source: Dahr Jamail Document: Article Date: December 7, 2006 Access: Open Hundreds of thousands of widows are becoming the silent tragedy of a country sliding deeper into chaos by the day. "The total figure of men who have been killed, disabled or detained for long periods of time adds up to more than one and a half million," Khalid Hameed, chief of the Iraqi al-Raya human rights organisation told IPS. "The average number of Iraqi family members is seven, so about ten million Iraqis are facing the worst living circumstances." In these circumstances, he said, women have had to "search for ways to survive and support their families at a time when not much help comes from the international community."

- Uneasy Havens Await Those Who Flee Iraq Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: December 7, 2006 Access: Open As they leave Iraq at a rate of nearly 3,000 a day, the refugees are threatening the social and economic fabric of both Jordan and Syria. As Iraq seems to disintegrate into warring factions of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, the risk that their dispute will be transferred here and increase local social problems is frightening the authorities. Inflation, too, has doubled to 6 percent from about 3.5 percent in 2005, fueled in part by reduced subsidies on oil and gasoline, and by growing demand from Iraqis, economists say.

- Half Iraq’s “Garden of Eden” Marshes begin to Recover Source: UN News Service Document: Article Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open Fifteen years after nearly being annihilated by Saddam Hussein, almost half of Iraq's fabled marshlands of Mesopotamia, considered by some to be the original Garden of Eden, have regained their 1970s extent, thanks to a multi-million dollar programme managed by the UN Environment Programme.

- Tourism Grows in Kurdish Iraq Source: BBC Document: Video Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open The Kurdish region of Iraq has been attracting tourists from the rest of the country and potentially Europe. Austrian Airlines has become the first international carrier to fly scheduled services into the area. Alex Ritson reports from Irbil.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 8 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Respect for human rights still a dream Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open Sectarian violence causing displacement and targeted attacks are continuing to further deepen the situation of human rights in Iraq today, local and international NGOs say.

- "I want go to school and learn how to write" Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Aid agencies estimate that thousands of Iraqi parents do not send their daughters to school for cultural reasons and because of the general insecurity in the country. As a result of two decades of war and economic hardship, Iraqi schools have fallen into disrepair, enrolment has dropped, and literacy levels have stagnated, agencies say.

Violence

- The invisible man Source: The Times Document: Article Date: December 13, 2006 Access: Open In Baghdad, nobody is what he seems. People invent stories to hide who they are and what they do. They tell their acquaintances they work for a relative, but head off to a job in the Green Zone that could get them killed. Others carry an ID with a Shia or Sunni name to escape death at the hands of the city’s armed militias. But what happens if you are exposed. What then in a country mired in sectarian warfare, where the discovery of your religious identity or political allegiance could leave you with a bullet to the head? Thirty-three-year-old Dr. Abdul Abbas knows. Since September, he has lived every Iraqi's nightmare after he was unmasked as a Sunni at work.

- Record Number of Iraqis Leave Iraq – In English and in Arabic Source: Al Quds Al Arabi Document: Opinion Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open There is no greater proof of the equality of the Iraqi people in the face injustice than the fact that asylum centres of Europe receive daily tens of thousands of Iraqi Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Muslims, Arabs, Sabi’as, Turkmen, and Yazidies. The occupation manifests itself in all of Iraq and is 'colour-blind’ in its rape of the people of Iraq.

- Millions flee Iraq Violence and Iraq violence sparks exodus to Syria Source: BBC Document: Video and Article Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open At least two million people are believed to have left Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Many people have fled from Iraq to Syria, where they face an uncertain future. Chris Morris reports from Syria.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 9 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Iraqis flee war, run into hostility Source: Los Angeles Times Document: Article Date: December 14, 2006 Access: Open As their numbers grow, refugees find that prejudice is growing and compassion is fading. Like him, the barber, baker and chef are Iraqis adrift in war. Escaping their battered homeland in crowded cars and lopsided buses, boarding planes and walking stretches of desert, Iraqi refugees are a growing diaspora in Cairo, Damascus, Amman and other Arab cities. With children in tow and life savings hidden in pots and suitcases, they are another precarious burden for the Middle East.

- Targeting Brains – In Arabic Source: BBC Document: Article Date: December 13, 2006 Access: Open Could you imagine a professor or physician carrying weapon beside pen and lancet? Secluded from their jobs, emigration under threats…These are the living details of a group, when their main duty should be building the future of the country.

- Cornered Military Takes to Desperate Tactics Source: Dahr Jamail Document: Article Date: December 9, 2006 Access: Open People living in areas where resistance to U.S.-led occupation is mounting are facing increased levels of collective punishment from the occupation forces, residents say.

- Sunni Militants Issue Religious Edicts in Mosul Source: IWPR Document: Article Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open Terrified residents are forced to comply with puritanical Islamic laws as insurgents tighten their grip on the city. The campaign against the public display of what they see as non-Islamic art is part of a wider operation by Sunni insurgents to try to establish an Islamic state in Iraq. As a stronghold of Sunni insurgents, about 400 kilometres north of Baghdad, Mosul is the intended capital of this so-called Islamic Emirate, comprising the provinces of Salahaddin, Anbar, Diyala, Baghdad and parts of Wasit and Babel.

- 'You must leave in 24 hours or your heads will be cut, your houses burnt' Source: The Times Document: Article Date: December 9, 2006 Access: Open One Shia family saw their neighbours flee, one by one. They stayed - until the al-Qaeda death threat finally landed on the doorstep Qadam watched them and thought about the times when his Sunni friends used to bring him food or when he gave them discounts at his market. He realised that they probably knew the al-Qaeda militants forcing his family to leave. But then Qadam himself knew Mahdi Army members. All of them were too afraid to speak up and now it was too late.

- Prisoners released from Iraqi prisons said to be traumatised Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: December 7, 2006 Access: Open Three Jordanians who were freed from Iraqi jails last November said they were subjected to "indescribable psychological and physical torture" by the US forces during detention.

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- Panel: U.S. Lied About Level Of Violence In Iraq Source: AP Document: Article Date: December 7, 2006 Access: Open U.S. military and intelligence officials have systematically underreported the violence in Iraq in order to suit the Bush administration's policy goals, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group said. The panel pointed to one day last July when U.S. officials reported 93 attacks or significant acts of violence. "Yet a careful review of the reports for that single day brought to light 1,100 acts of violence," it said.

- A realistic America is the silver lining of this great Iraqi darkness Source: The Sunday Times Document: Article Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open There is no government in Iraq, not the Americans or the British or the Iranians or the Syrians, let alone Nouri al- Maliki’s regime, which barely rules its own office. The concept of Iraq as a coherent political entity offering Washington choices of action is nonsensical. The Americans can stay squatting in 55 bases across Iraq or leave them. Those are the only options. Iraq is in a worse state than civil war. Such a war implies armies, fronts and secured territory. While Kurdistan and some tribally cohesive provinces enjoy a measure of stability under their sheikhs or militias, the Mesopotamian heartland has begun a horrific process of ethnic cleansing way beyond the aegis of any authority. This is pure anarchy.

- Abduction of Women on the Rise Source: IPS Document: Article Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open Women face increased risk of abduction by militias and criminal gangs as lawlessness takes over the country. Nobody is safe. Thousands of other women have not been so lucky. Many have been executed, assaulted, or released only after their families paid considerable ransom money.

- Prospects of All-Out Civil War in Iraq Much More Real Than 3 Months Ago, Annan Warns Source: UN News Service Document: Article Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open The prospects of all-out civil war in Iraq and even a regional conflict have become much more real over the past three months as sectarian violence, insurgent and terrorist attacks, and criminal activities have risen significantly, according to the latest United Nations report on the war-torn country released today. "The sectarian carnage has resulted in a vicious cycle of violence fuelled by revenge killings," Secretary-General Kofi Annan tells the Security Council in the report, proposing a possible international conference to foster national reconciliation and offering UN good offices in helping to arrange such a meeting.

Reconstruction is not going so well…

- Black-Market Weapon Prices Surge in Iraq Chaos Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open The market for this American-issued pistol and the ubiquitous assault rifle illustrated how fear, mismanagement and malfeasance are shaping the small-arms market in Iraq. Weapon prices are soaring along with an expanding sectarian war, as more buyers push prices several times higher than those that existed at the time of the American-led invasion nearly four years ago. Rising prices, in turn, have encouraged an insidious form of Iraqi corruption — the migration of army and police weapons from Iraqi state armories to black-market sales.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 11 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Iraq Is Failing to Spend Billions in Oil Revenues Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: December 11, 2006 Access: Open Iraq is failing to spend billions of dollars of oil revenues that have been set aside to rebuild its damaged roads, schools and power stations and to repair refineries and pipelines. Iraqi ministries are spending as little as 15 percent of the 2006 capital budgets they received for the rebuilding.Those officials said that in a nation with reconstruction needs around every corner, the puzzling phenomenon of unspent money was partly explained by the rapid turnover in governments, security woes, endemic corruption and a lack of technocrats skilled at jobs like writing contracts and managing complex projects. In short, nearly all the ills that have undermined the American rebuilding program seem to be plaguing the Iraqi one.

- To Stem Iraqi Violence, U.S. Aims to Create Jobs Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open As Iraq descends further into violence and disarray, the Pentagon is turning to a weapon some believe should have been used years ago: jobs. Members of a small Pentagon task force have gone to the most dangerous areas of Iraq over the past six months to bring life to nearly 200 state-owned factories abandoned by the Coalition Provisional Authority after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Their goal is to employ tens of thousands of Iraqis in coming months, part of a plan to reduce soaring unemployment and lessen the violence that has crippled progress. More on the subject here

- Report of UNSG pursuant paragraph 30 of UN Resolution 1546 Source: UN Security Council Document: UN Resolution Date: December 8, 2006 Access: Open Three months onwards, the situation in Iraq has further deteriorated in many parts of the country with a significant rise in sectarian violence, insurgent and terrorist attacks, and criminal activities. The growing militia activities have led to further destabilization. Across many parts of the country, an increasing number of Iraqis have been affected by growing violence and insecurity. High levels of civilian casualties and displacement on a daily basis are breeding an increasing sense of insecurity and deep pessimism among Iraqis. The prospects of all-out civil war and even a regional conflict have become much more real. Therefore, the challenge is not only to contain and defuse the current violence, but also to prevent its escalation.

Policies and Strategies

- Iraq Post Conflict Needs Assessment Review Source: UNAMI Document: Case Study Date: October 2006 Access: Open This case study was prepared in July 2006 by a joint team from the UN Development Group Office and the World Bank as part of Phase One of the PCNA Review conducted in 2006. The Post Conflict Needs Assessment is increasingly used as the platform for post-conflict recovery and reconstruction planning, and the 2006 PCNA Review is a joint effort by the UN and the Bank to capture lessons from past experience and introduce innovations and guidance that support improved and more effective PCNAs. Case studies are available for PCNAs done in Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Liberia, and Somalia; in addition, two case studies for countries whose assessments predated the current PCNA “methodology” are also available (East Timor and Afghanistan).

NCCI Weekly Highlight 12 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Pulling Out Combat Troops Would Still Leave Most Forces in Iraq Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open Frontline combat troops in the 15 brigades carrying out the American fight in Iraq — which the Iraq Study Group says could be largely withdrawn in just over a year — represent about 23 percent of the 140,000 military personnel committed to the overall war effort there. Even if all of the group’s proposals were carried out, it is not possible to predict exactly how many Americans will stay, or for how long. Decisions will hinge on military conditions on the ground and political conditions in Washington.

- It's still about oil in Iraq Source: Los Angeles Times Document: Article Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open A centerpiece of the Iraq Study Group's report is its advocacy for securing foreign companies' long-term access to Iraqi oil fields. While the Bush administration, the media and nearly all the Democrats still refuse to explain the war in Iraq in terms of oil, the ever-pragmatic members of the Iraq Study Group share no such reticence.

- A Bosnia Option for Iraq Source: The American Interest Online Document: Article Date: December 10, 2006 Access: Open In light of the difficult and deteriorating situation in Iraq, we need to consider new options in the event that current efforts cannot soon turn current security, political and economic trends around. A Bosnia Option for Iraq focuses on the controlled realignment of population groups in order to minimize communal violence and set the stage for a stable political settlement--what might be termed a “soft partition” of the country (but with retention of a confederal structure, together with equal sharing of oil revenue on a per capita basis among all groups). This memo briefly reviews current circumstances and then outlines a Bosnia option for Iraq.

- Is Democracy the Problem? Source: Carnegie Endowment Document: Article Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open Some argue that the neoconservatives’ grand design failed because it was too ambitious, that Iraqis were not ready for democracy, or perhaps that after nearly fifty years of totalitarian rule they were not capable of adjusting to a pluralist political system. There is ample evidence to suggest that this is not so. Efforts to arrest the unfolding tragedy in Iraq should not, therefore, involve a turn away from democracy but rather toward defanging the militias.

- Rights and Wrongs of Fixing Iraq Source: Financial Times Document: Article Date: December 6, 2006 Access: Open US policy in Iraq must come to grip with two realities: Iraq is in a civil war, and Iraq is a failed state. The Baker- Hamilton report issued Wednesday moves the debate on Iraq in a constructive direction. But if policymakers fixate on the formula of transferring responsibility to rapidly-expanded Iraqi forces with more embedded US trainers but fewer US troops, then expect more violence, more instability and more US casualties. The term "civil war" is not just a matter of rhetoric. Other conflicts have shown that civil wars require a political solution. Iraq's civil war is also fuelled by an insurgency. That Iraq is a failed state is fundamental to understanding its limitations. Iraq cannot fix itself, no matter how much pressure we apply.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 13 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

______Humanitarian world perspectives Through articles and statements

- How squeaky clean are aid workers? Source: Alertnet Document: Opinion Date: December 7, 2006 Access: Open Most bits of the establishment get dragged into the pit of shame in TI's Global Corruption Barometer, with policemen emerging as the biggest bribe-takers and political parties and parliaments lampooned as the "most corrupt". But non-governmental organisations (NGOs) seem to be high and dry on the moral high ground, with most most people rating them as a pretty clean lot.

- US casts sole ‘no’ vote against proposed treaty restricting arms trade Source: The News Document: Opinion Date: December 9, 2006 Access: Open The United States, which is the world’s biggest exporter of arms and accounts for more than 50 per cent of all arms exports, on Wednesday became the only country in the United Nations to vote against letting work begin on a new treaty to bolster arms embargoes and prevent human rights abuses by setting uniform worldwide standards for arms deals. The vote in the 192-nation UN General Assembly was 153-1, with the United States casting the sole “no” vote. Twenty-four other nations abstained, including major arms sellers Russia and China and emerging exporters India and Pakistan.

- World Disasters Report: living and dying in the shadows Source: IFRC Document: Report Date: December 14, 2006 Access: Open

In 2005, the world responded more generously to people’s humanitarian needs than at any time in recent history. Emergency aid reached at least US$ 17 billion – outstripping any other year on record. Yet millions still missed out on vital, potentially life-saving aid because funds were directed at high-profile disasters, while countless other crises were neglected, according to this year’s annual World Disasters Report, launched today (December 14) by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Summary of the Chapters of the Report

Which disasters get most aid?

Quality of Aid

- UN – Civil Military Coordination - IMPACT Source: OCHA Document: Software Date: December 5, 2006 Access: Open The objective of UN – CMCoord IMPACT is to raise awareness on civil-military coordination guiding documents in complex emergencies amongst peacekeepers and civilians working in integrated missions. UN – CMCoord IMPACT visits a set of guiding documents on civil military relations in complex emergencies.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 14 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006

- Handbook on How to Improve the Management of Voluntary Returns Source: IOM Document: Software Date: December 12, 2006 Access: Open Making sure the human rights of returning migrants are respected, building a climate of trust with the returning migrant; providing assistance to vulnerable groups upon return are some of the key issues addressed in IOM’s new handbook. The handbook, developed by the IOM office in The Hague, aims to contribute to the harmonization of approaches and the development of common standards in voluntary return assistance within the European Union. The handbook contains an overview of methodologies and best practices on voluntary return assistance in the enlarged European Union. It draws special attention to the sustainable voluntary return of vulnerable migrants, such as unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking and families with children.

The IOM Handbook “coping with return” is available here

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This Page is your page

If you have an announcement (training, workshop, etc) regarding your organisation, If you are aware about meetings, events, humanitarian update, If you would like to make known some information, please send them to [email protected]

Upcoming important dates

15th Dec. Parliaments Election Day anniversary (2005) Death of Imam Al-Ridha – visitors expected to shrines

18th Dec. International Migrants Day

nd 22 Dec. Death of Imam Mohammed Al-Juwad – visitors expected to shrines

Weekly Schedule

The next workshop for the Inter-Agency consolidate Plan update will be run next Tuesday in Amman, while there will be an NCCI Coordination Meeting next Wednesday in Baghdad. We have added on our weekly schedule some events hold in Iraq or Jordan that concern only specific invited people. They are hi ghlighted as “restricted”. This is to give better information on what is going on to our members. We encourage you to check regularly our Weekly Schedule on our Website for updates and more information.

Updates & Announcements

NCCI Vacancies

NCCI is still looking for 2 assistants in Baghdad and an Iraq Coordinator as Sawsan Al-Sayyab has left NCCI this week.

------NGO vacancies

New vacancies on our website. An NGO is looking for a project manager and a finance/admin manager.

------NCCI Evaluation

As you already may know, Greg Hansen is conducting a new evaluation of NCCI. Our members are kindly requested to take 5 minutes to answer the questionnaire that has been sent to them. You can also follow the link above to answer the questionnaire.

------CONFERENCE: Rights based development and humanitarian action in conflict situations

Date: 8-9 February 2007 - Location: London, UK The IAG - a loose network of UK based NGOs concerned with integrating human rights into development and huma nitarian practice – is organising a conference on rights based development and humanitarian action in conflict situatio ns. The purpose of this exploratory conference is to learn, challenge thinking and improve the impact of rights based programme and policy work in conflict situations through the creation of space for debate and analysis of emerging challenges, tensions and questions as well as areas of complementarity. Pleas e return completed registration forms to Magdalene Lagu at [email protected] by 12 January 2007.

NCCI’s Contact List

NCCI Weekly Highlight 16 Issue 45 – 12/14/2006