We still have some problems with the server that host our website. Accordingly access to website might be long and / or difficult. Please receive our apologies for the disagreement, we will try to fix the EDITORIAL problem as soon as possible Issue 57- 15th March 2007 ------Lessons to be learnt

Do you listen to Iraqis? This is not in reference to those with the capacity and tools (like a podium and microphone) with which to speak. This is about the other Iraqis. The ones in the streets under an incredible and immeasurable pressure, the ones who suffer from a lack of all basic services, the ones who face a humanitarian crisis that nobody wants to GHT

I announce officially within the circles of the International Community or Iraqi Authorities. If you have never listened to those Iraqis, well maybe you should. They might be able to impart L some valuable lessons…

H National entity

th G On Tuesday March 13 , in a small restaurant about 25 people gathered. They came from all I parts of the country, had different religious backgrounds, and had an equal share of men and women. They shared some kebab and shish taouk. All in all, a seemingly normal gathering, but only if this was in a normal country. It wasn't though, it was in Iraq, where such a gathering is H not normal anymore.

Y The group was assembled in Sulaymaniyah, consisting of all the stripes, colours and patterns of

L Iraqi society from all the Governorates of Iraq. They didn’t discuss politics, violence or divisions.

K They sang. It was the best message that could be sent to all those who advocate on or for the division of E Iraq. They all sang for their country, and they all sang together.

E Whether they came from Basrah or Erbil, from Baghdad or Nassriyah; whether they were originally from Haditha or Kut, from Najaf or Mosul, they all have the same points of reference, the same songs. They also danced together, each participant learning the intricate steps or variations specific to

W particular regions. I It was an incredible and moving moment of sharing. It was a moment where you really wonder how Iraq wound up in the situation it is in today, where people can talk openly about dividing the country. It was a moment where you revile politics because it is at its worst – a means for some people to look out for their own interests and to increase their own benefits.

NCC Are these interests important enough to destroy a country and its people? Can the example of camaraderie and living multiculturalism as displayed (in comfort and ease) by this group be emulated and followed by their compatriots?

Transparency and Accountability

The above-mentioned group is participating in a training of trainers program.

Two days of the training are dedicated to transparency and accountability. Because the International Community regularly stresses, with reason, the importance of such principles. Because these Iraqis are willing to adhere to internationally recognised standards.

Unfortunately, training is sometimes not enough. Learning by doing and leading by example is sometimes more important. Yet it’s not always done. Everybody knows about the general level of corruption in Iraq, as well as the lack of accountability in the implementation of major reconstruction projects led and financed by dominant funding agencies. Iraqis were fed-up with the corrupted “oil for food” program. When they reproach the International Community for its indiscretions and faults, this is a clear call for the need of more accountability, which in turn can be more easily monitored with better transparency.

Today, the humanitarian needs are obvious. But the means to respond are not supported or funded nearly enough. Among the reasons given for this lack is because Iraq is a rich country, or a lot of distributed money is still available, or the money has already been distributed and of course that monitoring is impossible.

The NGO response to this reasoning is that the Iraqis that are suffering are not the rich ones, that there is no money available for emergencies and that monitoring is possible. NGOs work on documents to increase their accountability and to present to donors better ways and strategies to monitor programs.

It’s not perfect, but efforts have been made to respond to the donors’ requests and to increase links and information sharing mechanisms/content with them. In terms of reciprocity, NGOs expected that donors might respond in kind to some of their requests and become more transparent for the purposes of better coordination. Indeed, coordination between coordination bodies is very often pointed out as a bottleneck in Iraq.

NGOs, through NCCI, have requested for an observer's presence at the so-called “donors conference” that will be held in Istanbul next week. The response was that “the participation of non-donors at the IRFFI meeting […] would not be appropriate. As you may be aware, this is to be a business meeting of the donor committee to approve the reports of the WB and UN, as well as to discuss technical issues on IRFFI. Therefore for non-donors to be invited would be inappropriate.”

Wonderful example of transparency isn’t it?

Iraqis needs to have the support of the international community, but they need a transparent support framework they can refer to. They need to know and understand what is going on. Iraqis perhaps can't provide lessons here. But the lessons they learn through such responses are quite far removed from what the International Community is asking them to produce.

When the case is one of "do as I say, not as I do" who has to be blamed for lack of transparency and accountability?

Humanity

Let’s come back on our above-mentioned group. They are all working daily on Human Rights in Iraq. It’s not easy and they generally look for guidance, yet again, and for the standards to be set by more experienced countries. They were all happy to see a foreigner sitting with them for their dinner. A chorus of “Ahlan Wa Sahlan” (welcome) were said. This response is far removed from the more widely spread and common image of dangerous Iraqis who want to kill all foreigners. Of course people who endorse this latter sentiment do exist and Iraq is dangerous for foreigners, but for Iraqis as well in some areas. Amalgamation is never good indeed.

On the other hand, an Iraqi asked for a 3-day visa to enter the UK to participate in a conference that will focus on the problems faced by Iraqis refugees. The visa was refused. The stated reason for refusal was that “given the nature of the conference you propose to attend, you will be well aware of the

NCCI Weekly Highlight 2 Issue 57– 03/15/2007 instability which prevails in Iraq and the vast numbers of people who have left the country and not returned. Given the above, I am not satisfied you intend to return to Iraq. Given the above, I am not satisfied you would be accepted to return to Jordan […] I am not satisfied on the evidence before me that you will leave the UK after a limited period, nor that you are genuinely seeking entry to the UK only for the purpose stated”.

Given the wording of the refusal, it can be rephrased as: “if you are aware about the situation in Iraq (obviously an Iraqi is already aware…) and about the refugees’ situation, you will try to become a refugee. Yet we don’t want you in our country.”

Are racism and fear standards more important than fostering a welcoming atmosphere today? Who should follow the example given here?

Iraqis are definitively not perfect, and neither is anyone else in the world. However, those that request you to follow rules as recognised standards should in turn give a good image of what should be done. Adopting such practices are certainly the best way to work together to support the most vulnerable. To save lives. To keep humanity at the top of the agenda.

------Salam NCCI Team

NCCI Weekly Highlight 3 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

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

Advocacy

- UNHCR protests Turkish “refoulement” of recognised Iraqi refugee Source: UNHCR Document: Statement Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open UNHCR deeply regrets the refoulement by Turkey of an Iraqi refugee on March 3. The individual, who comes from central Iraq, had been accorded refugee status by UNHCR and had been issued with the relevant documentation on February 13. On February 20, upon learning that a deportation order had been given to the refugee, UNHCR wrote to the Turkish authorities, reiterating UNHCR's position as reflected in its advisory to governments that Iraqis from southern and central Iraq 'should be favorably considered as refugees under the 1951 Convention, given the high prevalence of serious human rights violations related to the grounds of the 1951 Convention.' In that advisory, UNHCR calls upon states not to forcibly return any Iraqi from southern and central Iraq.

- Sami Rasouli, back from Iraq, says U.S. is impeding peace Source: Star Tribune Document: Article Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open Sometimes in this troubled world, even peacemakers smile. Sami Rasouli, the former restaurateur who gave up a comfortable life in Minneapolis to return to his native Iraq three years ago, laughs when he thinks about the recent trip Gov. Tim Pawlenty made to Iraq and Afghanistan. But Rasouli does sound pretty rational. "Occupation and democracy do not fit together," he says to anyone who will listen.

Operational Space

- Humanitarian Coordination Meeting Source: NCCI Document: Minutes of Meeting Date: March 14, 2007 Access: Member Draft summary report of the Humanitarian Coordination Meeting that was held with the Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA Team and NGOs

- External Report on NCCI Workshop – In Arabic Source: Iraqi NGO Document: Report Date: March 11, 2007 Access: Open Report from an Iraqi NGO that participated to the last NCCI National Dialogue Workshop that highlight its neutrality, impartiality and creativity.

- Is it worth getting killed for? Source: The Guardian Document: Article Date: March 4, 2007 Access: Open The volatile security situation in Iraq means that few journalists are willing to travel to the country and report on one of the most important stories of our time. Many journalists decide it is not safe enough even to grab a few minutes on the street. Harriet Sherwood, foreign editor of the Guardian, says "a lot of news organisations are not terribly honest about what it is possible to do in Iraq. We've just had a correspondent in Baghdad and he couldn't leave his hotel. He's a very experienced reporter, but this is the first time he'd been in Baghdad where he just felt it was impossible to go anywhere."

NCCI Weekly Highlight 4 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

Blurring the line

- Aid Workers With Guns Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: March 4, 2007 Access: Open The U.S. has built a little-known military base here that represents one of our best strategies to fight terrorism in the coming years: The aim is to build things rather than blow them up. After 9/11, the focus of America’s response to terrorism has been mostly on using military force to destroy possible threats in places like Iraq and intimidate just about everyone. Yet all in all, that strategy has backfired catastrophically, particularly in Iraq, and turned us into Al Qaeda’s best recruiter. So that’s why the softer touch in Centcom’s strategy here is so welcome. It aims to help bring stability to northeastern Africa and to address humanitarian needs — knowing that humanitarian involvement will make us safer as well.

- Provincial Reconstruction teams in Iraq Source: USIP Document: report Date: March 14, 2007 Access: Open Beyond “building sustainable capacity,” a term that refers to the “transfer of skills and knowledge from Coalition Forces to the Iraqi people,” there is no formal agreement among government agencies in Washington about what the PRTs are to accomplish. Ambassador Khalilzad and Multinational Force Commander General George Casey issued an “initial instructions” telegram establishing the PRTs, but no Washington interagency-approved doctrine or concept of operations governed the first PRTs in Iraq. Nor are there agreed objectives, delineation of authority and responsibility between the civilian and military personnel plans, or job descriptions. Start-up of the PRT program in Iraq has been troubled by interagency differences over funding, staffing, and administrative support and by the overriding challenge of providing security. Embedding the new PRTs with BCTs should help overcome many of these problems.

Humanitarian Needs and Assistance

- Technical Humanitarian Workshop Source: UNAMI Document: Report Date: February 21-22, 2007 Access: Members Technical Humanitarian Workshop on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq took place in Amman on 21-22 February 2007. This Workshop created an opportunity for the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), the UN Country Team (UNCT), international organizations, and NGOs to jointly address the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. The Workshop took stock of the current situation in Iraq, including capacities, gaps and priorities, in order to ensure greater common understanding of the issues and potential actors, and to initiate the process of developing a response strategy. In addition, the Workshop was a forum for the humanitarian community to agree upon modalities for future coordination and cooperation, as part of the operationalization of the strategy. The Workshop was also an opportunity to identify resource requirements for an immediate response to the humanitarian crisis. Presentation: Advocating with one voice in Iraq? Presentation: Iraq security Environment

- Invitation to the UNHCR International Conference Source: UNHCR Document: Letter Date: March 9, 2007 Access: Members The invitation receive by invited organisations to participate to the UNHCR International Conference on Adressing Humanitarian needs of Refugees and IDPs inside Iraq and in neighbouring countries that will be held in Geneva on 17 & 18 April. The objectives of this conference are tosensitize the international community to the humanitarian dimension of the situation, as well as foreseeable needs for protection and assistance; seek commitments to address the problems identified in a resolute way, notably through more robust burden-sharing with host States and; identify more targeted responses to specific problems, such as the need to find solutions speedily for the particularly vulnerable.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 5 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

NGOs and Agencies’ communication

- Report of the Secretary General pursuant to paragraph 30 of Resolution 1546 Source: UN Document: Report Date: March 11, 2007 Access: Open In paragraph 30 of resolution 1546 (2004), the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to report to the Council on a quarterly basis on the fulfilment of the responsibilities of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The present report is the eleventh submitted pursuant to that resolution.

Health & Mental Health

- Elderly most vulnerable to insecurity and displacement Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open Elderly people in Iraq are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with daily life as the country's security conditions worsen, say specialists. Continuing violence and the consequent mass displacement has had a debilitating effect on the health and psychological conditions of the elderly, add the specialists.

IDPs

- Overview of Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq Source: Cluster F Document: Report Date: March 5, 2007 Access: Members It is estimated that over 1.8 million are currently displaced within Iraq as of 5 March 2007. 707,000 of who were displaced after February 2006, following the bombing of the Al-Askari Shrine in Samarra. Sectarian violence has since escalated, alongside anti-insurgency, counter-insurgency and crime, leading to widespread violence and insecurity throughout Iraq.

- Sub-group on Food Issues - Draft Source: WFP Document: Minutes of Meeting Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Members Minutes of Meeting of the last meeting held on the 12th of March

- Sub-group on Food Issues Source: WFP Document: Minutes of meeting Date: February 27, 2007 Access: Members Minutes of Meeting of the meeting held on the 27th of February

- Access of new IDPs to PDS by Governorate - Draft Source: Cluster F Document: Report Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Members A review of the access to PDS for IDPs governorate by governorate. First draft that needs to be completed with more information from the field.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 6 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

- "I have no job, no food, no home and no respect" Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open "Now, my food ration has been cut off and my son was expelled from dentistry college in his fourth year before he was killed. They told him that they were tired of giving free education to people who never helped to build the country. "The situation got worse when we asked for psychiatric treatment for my wife in a public hospital. He [the doctor there] was rude and refused to attend to my wife and daughter saying that he is not paid to treat ex- regime supporters. "Today, I'm living as a displaced person on the outskirts of Baghdad but tomorrow I might be in a grave if someone doesn't help us soon."

Refugees

- WFP to assist poorest Iraqi refugees fleeing into Syria Source: WFP Document: Statement Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open WFP has appealed for donations for a new operation to provide food assistance for tens of thousands of the poorest Iraqi refugees who are now in Syria after fleeing escalating violence in their own country. WFP is appealing to donors to provide US$1.7 million to purchase and distribute over 2,800 metric tons of rice, vegetable oil and pulses up to the end of the year. “While the Government, with UNHCR’s support, has opened the doors of their schools and health care centres to allow the refugees to access social services, those who are most vulnerable are still unable to provide themselves with the basics, including food,”

- World Vision launches advocacy and aid response to Iraqi refugees Source: World Vision Document: Statement Date: March 11, 2007 Access: Open World Vision is joining key coalitions in Europe and the United States to advocate for the estimated 2 million Iraqis who have fled across borders to escape violence in their homeland. A scaling up of immediate aid through partner organisations in Jordan has begun and the possibility of assisting Iraqi refugees other neighbouring countries is also being investigated. The silent humanitarian disaster of Iraqi Refugees: Iraqi Christian children living in Jordan draw their life experiences as refugees

- UNHCR Director's mission to region to underscore refugee protection needs Source: UNHCR Document: Statement Date: March 9, 2007 Access: Open UNHCR's Director of International Protection, Mr. George Okoth-Obbo, leaves tomorrow (Saturday) on a one- week mission to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan as part of UNHCR's overall efforts to strengthen its protection and assistance programmes for hundreds of thousands of uprooted Iraqis in the region. The Director of our Middle East and North Africa Division, Mr. Radhouane Nouicer, will also be in the region during the week.At each stop during his mission, Okoth-Obbo will meet with government officials, members of the UN country teams, NGOs and other partners. He will be Jordan on Thursday and Friday.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 7 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

- Palestinian Refugees of Iraq Source: Electronic Intifada Document: Article Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open On the border between Iraq/Jordan and Iraq/Syria today live hundreds of Palestinian families who fled the US war to find themselves stranded in no-mans land. These families live in tents, in squalor, with little certainty or hope for the future, like their parents and grandparents did after their expulsion from their own homeland in the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) by the Israelis. The Al-Hol, Al-Tanaf, Al-Ruweished and Al-Walid refugee camps in the Iraqi desert are examples of the on-going Nakba that Palestinian refugees face. The fate of the 34,000 Palestinian refugees who once lived in Iraq can be added to the many tragic stories of the US invasion and occupation of that country.

- U.S. vetting Iraqi refugees for resettlement Source: Washington Times Document: Article Date: March 14, 2007 Access: Open The Department of Homeland Security has begun interviewing dozens of Iraqi refugees in Jordan for possible resettlement in the United States this year, and interviews will soon start in Syria and Turkey, Bush administration officials said yesterday. "Interviews are going on in Jordan and will soon expand to Syria, Turkey and other countries in the region," one U.S. official said. The administration said last month that the U.S. could take in up to 7,000 Iraqi refugees this year, but that number is not likely to be reached.

- No Child Left Behind? Iraqi Edition Source: Mother Jones Document: Article Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open Yesterday's Jordan Times adds another whopper to the myriad of bad news coming out of Iraq. Apparently, few of the estimated 172,000 to 230,000 school-aged Iraq War refugees living Jordan are enrolled in school. Those children, many of whom are from middle class Iraqi families, lack the proper residency status to qualify for public school, and their families lack the finances to enroll their children in private institutions. As a result, over a hundred thousand Iraqi children have been out of school for as many as 4 years now--and that's just counting those in Jordan.

Education – Child Protection

- Dreams of bombs, bad guys haunt Baghdad's children Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: March 8, 2007 Access: Open In 2004, Abdul-Muhsin opened a centre to treat people suffering psychological problems, but he said it was forced to close in 2005 because foreign doctors stopped coming to Iraq and it ran out of money. He said 70 percent of the children he sees have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. "Some suffer from night bed- wetting and social phobia, especially when a child sees a person being killed or being kidnapped or he himself is exposed to kidnapping," he said. Nearly every family with children has stories of nightmares or changed behaviour. "Their thinking has become gloomy," Um Khalil said. "They are not thinking of tomorrow because they know that tomorrow may never come."

- Child malnutrition - correction Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open IRIN wrongly attributed an estimate of 4.5 million undernourished Iraqi children to UNICEF in a recent report. IRIN regrets the error. There are an estimated 4.8 million children under five in Iraq in total. About one in five of them are thought to be chronically malnourished ("stunted") and about one in 10 are underweight, according to UNICEF.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 8 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

- Children's education gravely affected by conflict Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: March 14, 2007 Access: Open However, specialists say these measures have had little impact on the rate of teachers leaving their profession and children continue to be deprived of both an education and social support system. "Iraq's education system needs a great deal more investment and attention to survive this time of crisis," Roger Wright, UNICEF representative for Iraq, said in the joint study with the education ministry. "Schools are the best place to give psychological support to children affected by violence and displacement, providing a focus for stability and healing within Iraqi society."

- For a young Iraqi woman, a second chance to learn and grow Source: UNICEF Document: Article Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open The Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) offers a second chance to young people who left the education system prematurely, allowing them to attend lessons outside normal school hours and even sit for their final exams. Launched by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education in 2005, the innovative programme has become one of Iraq’s most successful and inspiring education initiatives. Non-formal learning opportunities such as ALP are a crucial alternative for many of Iraq’s young people. The country’s education standards have been declining since the mid-1990s as a result of years of economic deprivation and chronic under-investment. Most of the children who leave school early are girls. And with the current violence and displacement putting even more pressure on families, attendance rates are falling.

Human Rights

- Women's lives unraveling in Iraq Source: IPS Document: Article Date: March 10, 2007 Access: Open Amid the chaos and violence of U.S.-occupied Iraq, the significance of widespread gender-based violence has been largely overlooked, according to a groundbreaking report released here by MADRE, an internationally active women's human rights organization. Iraqi women are enduring unprecedented levels of assault in the public sphere, including widespread abductions, public beatings, death threats, sexual assaults, honor killings, domestic abuse, torture in detention, beheadings, shootings and public hangings, said the report titled "Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy: Gender-Based Violence and the U.S. War on Iraq".

- Kurdish women struggle to advance Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: March 9, 2007 Access: Open Women in Iraq's Kurdistan are using the relative calm in their region to make slow progress towards equal status with men - but there is still a long way to go, according to activists. "Some of these women are still facing violence from their husbands or families and honour killings still exist in some rural areas of Kurdistan. These forced 538 women to commit suicide in 2006 alone".

______-----__ 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: March 14, 2007 Access: Open A weekly Iraq humanitarian assistance report Compiled by Pacific Disaster Management Information Network

NCCI Weekly Highlight 9 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

- Juan Cole’s informed comment’s excerpts Source: Informed Comment – Juan Cole’s Web Blog. Document: Selection of daily comments Date: March 9 to 14, 2007 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. Good reading to have a weekly review of the Iraq daily situation.

Non-Violence and Reconciliation

- Only reconciliation can stop sectarian strife Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: March 8, 2007 Access: Open "The soldier with his rifle and tank can't stop the sectarian bloodletting between Sunnis and Shias. The Iraqi government should prove that it is for all Iraqis and not for a specific sect and only then will sectarian violence end," said Sarmad Saber Hassan, a Baghdad-based political analyst. "There should be genuine reconciliation between them [Sunnis and Shias]. They have to sit around the table and tackle their problems, otherwise sectarian violence will increase," he added.

- Why 'soft partition' of Iraq won't work Source: Christian Science Monitor Document: Opinion Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open In the escalating debate over the US role in Iraq, the latest panacea on offer is an option called "soft partition." However, like "hard" partition (Iraq's breakup) and a military surge, this proposal will fail in its goal to create a new and stable modus vivendi in Iraq. But the concept of soft partition misreads Iraqi realities. Despite sectarian cleansing attempts, Iraqis remain deeply intermingled and intermarried in a mosaic that could be changed only through campaigns of intimidation and mass murder.

Human Living Conditions

- To Karbala They Traveled, by Foot, Donkey, S.U.V. and Helicopter Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: March 11, 2007 Access: Open The Shiite pilgrims came here carrying bread and walking sticks and jugs of water. Some had walked 10 days from Basra, in the far south; others had taken donkey carts from Najaf, the ayatollahs’ power center. Old men and women were pushed along in wheelchairs. Open-back trucks brimming with black-clad Shiites rumbled down the highways, pictures of turbaned clerics on their sides. Estimates of the number of pilgrims ranged wildly, from three million to seven million, but Iraqi officials said one thing was clear: this was the largest celebration in decades of Arbaeen

- Four years on in Iraq, will I live or die? Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: March 8, 2007 Access: Open To the outside world, Iraq is synonymous with car bombs, death squads and fear. Electricity blackouts happen every day. Queues for petrol in a country with the world's third largest oil reserves stretch for hundreds of metres. Almost every day I wake up, wondering if I will live or die. Last February, a roadside bomb exploded right outside my home. It had apparently been intended for a passing Iraqi army patrol but hit a pick-up truck. It decapitated the driver and blew out the windows of my house, spattering blood and bits of flesh on the walls. I cannot think of an Iraqi who has not been touched in some way by the violence of the past four years.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 10 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

- Baghdad fisherman bagging more fish and fewer bodies Source: AFP Document: Article Date: March 8, 2007 Access: Open "Before I'd find bodies in the river just about every day," the slightly bearded curly-haired fisherman said, speaking from his long, narrow green fishing boat on the banks of the Tigris. "Now it is better. The last time we found a body was about 10 days ago." "My family lives in a small room after they had to leave their house... we have been shot at both by US and Iraqi forces, we can't fish at night because of the curfew, and we still have to be careful when we walk in the street."

Violence

- Anguish in the Ruins of Mutanabi Street Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: March 10, 2007 Access: Open On Friday morning, Iraqis continued to drift to Mutanabi Street, four days after a car bomb took the lives of at least 26 people and injured dozens more. Some came to hunt for the remains of loved ones. Others came to mourn a street that represented the intellectual soul of a nation known for its love affair with books. For many, the narrow warren of shops had seemed to defy Iraq's woes. Mutanabi Street had long been considered "the unifier of Iraq," said Khalid Hussein, a bookseller with cropped hair and thick forearms. Before the bombing, he said, this was "the only place that hadn't been touched by sectarianism."

- Kurds Fear a New War Source: IPS Document: Article Date: March 9, 2007 Access: Open All three countries have large Kurdish populations, and the governments of all three are worried about a Kurdish uprising for a separate homeland. Only in Iraq do Kurds have an autonomous region of their own. PKK leaders are expecting a Turkish military invasion in spring. They expect the attack to have limited scope in terms of "the time and area of operation." As the likelihood of a fierce battle between PKK and Turkey rises, the guerrillas' determination is not shaken. "No one wants to die or to kill. Our motto is that we are prepared for both peace and war."

- Iraq four years on Source: The Telegraph Document: Article Date: March 1, 2007 Access: Open The possibility that ordinary Iraqis will vote to end the sectarian divide remains the coalition's greatest hope. Perhaps a time will come when Mohammed will no longer need his gazelle's blood ring and his Shia slang, when he will revert to being Mohammed the Iraqi, rather than Mohammed the Sunni. For those bereaved and brutalised over the past four years, however, the seeds of division may have been sown for generations ahead. Right now, peace and reconciliation seem more remote than they did when Saddam's statue fell.

- Shrine Bombing as War's Turning Point Debated Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open Before that day, military and administration officials frequently explain, Iraq was moving in the right direction: National elections had been held, and a government was forming. But then the bombing of the golden dome shrine in Samarra derailed that positive momentum and unleashed a wave of brutal sectarian violence. Many Iraq specialists and defense analysts contend that this narrative of the mosque bombing is misleading, yet also revealing of how U.S. strategy in Iraq has evolved. Experts say the attack did not begin a civil war but rather confirmed the ongoing deterioration and violence in Iraq -- conditions the White House and the generals had resisted recognizing

NCCI Weekly Highlight 11 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

Reconstruction is not going so well…for Iraqis

- The fall guy in Iraq Source: Asia Times – Pepe Escobar Document: Article Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open The Baghdad conference on Saturday was a derivative talk-fest setting up three committees to prepare the way for another meeting at the foreign-minister level next month in Istanbul. The subtext, though never explicit, is more glaring: it is the absolute. US impotence to guarantee security or stability in Iraq, and the desperate search for a way out, now pitting the "axis of fear" (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates) against the "axis of evil" (Iran and Syria). The spiraling equation in Iraq is stark.

- Agencies Tangle on Efforts to Help Iraq Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: March 11, 2007 Access: Open Instead, the document, "Secretary Gutierrez's Five Priority Areas for Economic Reform in Iraq," set off a bureaucratic grenade in Baghdad's Green Zone. The second item on the list called for the United States to pressure Iraq's government to cease providing people with monthly food rations, which more than half of Iraq's population relies on for sustenance."No Iraqi politician wants to get rid of free food. It's political suicide. They're not going to do it," said a former embassy official who worked on ration-related issues. "These grand schemes are irrelevant. I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours everyone has wasted on this issue, when there were all sorts of more productive things they could have been doing with their time."

- Iraq Hydrocarbon Draft Law Source: Government of Iraq Document: Draft Law Date: March 12, 2007 Access: Open The revised draft law regarding the oil distribution in Iraq that should be presented to the parliament soon.

- Whose Oil Is It, Anyway? Source: New York Times Document: Opinion Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open The law would transform Iraq’s oil industry from a nationalized model closed to American oil companies except for limited (although highly lucrative) marketing contracts, into a commercial industry, all-but-privatized, that is fully open to all international oil companies. The Iraq National Oil Company would have exclusive control of just 17 of Iraq’s 80 known oil fields, leaving two-thirds of known — and all of its as yet undiscovered — fields open to foreign control. The foreign companies would not have to invest their earnings in the Iraqi economy, partner with Iraqi companies, hire Iraqi workers or share new technologies. The vast majority of Iraq’s oil would then be left underground for at least two years rather than being used for the country’s economic development.

- Lopsided provincial councils keep Iraq off balance Source: Los Angeles Times Document: Article Date: March 11, 2007 Access: Open U.S. officials have described provincial elections as one of several benchmarks, along with reduction of violence in Baghdad and approval of a hydrocarbon resource sharing law, by which they are gauging the progress of Iraq's national government. Many U.S. officials and Iraqi leaders say new provincial elections would give Sunni Arabs a greater stake in the success of Iraq and help rein in the insurgency. But the Shiite-led national government has been slow to act. Shiite leaders say they want to hold new provincial elections, and say procedural requirements have prevented them from passing a law to schedule a date. Parliament has gone for weeks at a time without achieving a quorum. Sunni Arab politicians and U.S. officials, however, say they suspect the Shiites are stalling, biding their time, even as Shiite militias and Sunni Arab insurgents use violent gerrymandering tactics to carve out sectarian constituencies that will preserve their power.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 12 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

- U.S. Expects Iraq Prison Growth Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: March 14, 2007 Access: Open Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, reiterated the expected increase in detainees when he told reporters last week that the effort "to expand the U.S. capacity for detention" in Iraq was one reason 2,200 U.S. Army military police personnel are part of the troop increase in Iraq. The Camp Cropper contract proposal, reviewed by The Washington Post, underscores the detainee increase and offers insight into U.S. detention practices in Iraq -- including a ban against hiring local staffers.

Policies and Strategies

- The Redirection Source: The New Yorker – Seymour Hersh Document: Article Date: March 5, 2007 Access: Open Is the Administration’s new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism? Efforts to curb Iran’s influence have involved the United States in worsening Sunni-Shiite tensions.

- Iraq, the likely scenarios Source: Alertnet Document: Opinions Date: March 8, 2007 Access: Open A range of views on what Iraq will look like in the coming years. Opinions from Adnan Al-Dulaimi, Toby Dodge, Ayad Jamal-Eddine; Joost Hiltermann; Adnan Al-Ubeydi; Bing West and Charles Tripp.

- Beyond Quagmire Source: Rolling Stone Magazine Document: Opinions Date: March 7, 2007 Access: Open Those on the panel agree that President Bush's attempt to secure Baghdad will only succeed in dragging out the conflict, creating something far beyond any Vietnam-style "quagmire." The surge won't bring an end to the sectarian cleansing that has ravaged Iraq, as the newly empowered Shiite majority seeks to settle scores built up during centuries of oppressive rule by the Sunni minority. It will do nothing to defuse the powder keg that an independence-minded Kurdistan, in Iraq's northern provinces, poses to the governments of Turkey, Syria and Iran, which have long brutalized their own Kurdish separatists. And it will only worsen the global war on terror. How bad will things get in Iraq -- and what price will the world ultimately pay for the president's decision to prolong the war?

- Two Busted Flushes: The U.S. and Iranian Negotiations Source: Strategic Forecasting Document: Article Date: March 7, 2007 Access: Open U.S., Iranian and Syrian diplomats met in Baghdad on March 10 to discuss the future of Iraq. Shortly afterward, everyone went out of their way to emphasize that the meetings either did not mean anything or that they were not formally one-on-one, which meant that other parties were present. Such protestations are inevitable. These protestations are, however, total nonsense. That U.S., Iranian and Syrian diplomats would meet at this time and in that place is of enormous importance. The question now goes not to whether negotiations are happening, but to what is being discussed, what an agreement might look like and how likely it is to occur. Let's begin by considering the framework in which each side is operating.

- Government pledges additional funding for UN in Iraq Source: Irish Aid Document: Statement Date: March 13, 2007 Access: Open The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D. and the Minister of State for Irish Aid, Mr. Conor Lenihan T.D. today announced additional funding of €100,000 to support the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 13 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

______Humanitarian world perspectives Through articles and Reports

- Gender Matters Source: One World Document: Newsletter Date: March 2006 Access: Open Where women are respected and empowered, families and communities are strengthened, citizens are better represented, corruption is reduced, and peace is prioritized. In many countries women have more opportunities for education and stronger rights than ever before. And where discrimination, gender violence, and inequality persist, dynamic women and men are working to change the status quo. OneWorld brings you their stories — and more on gender and equality — everyday.

Quality of Aid

- Camp management Toolkit Source: NRC Document: Toolkit Date: 2004 Access: Open The Toolkit addresses the technical and the administrative as well as the social aspects of camp management. It focuses specifically on camp managers, camp management teams and camp management agencies. The Toolkit does not aim to replace specialised manuals relating to different sectors but to promote a better understanding of the main issues and constraints from a camp management perspective. It should also promote positive cooperation between the camp management, the camp residents and the different agencies designated with sector responsibility in a camp. In the absence of specialised agencies, the Toolkit should allow camp managers to understand each sector and advocate for proper coverage.

- Protection of Refugee and Internally Displaced Women Source: Brookings Institution Document: Report Date: March 8, 2007 Access: Open This meeting is an important reminder that the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which is meeting across the street, should give special attention to the plight of the tens of millions of refugee and internally displaced women in more than 100 countries. Most have been uprooted by war, communal violence and human rights abuse and can be found in the most destitute conditions, vulnerable to abuse, and subject to the worst discrimination and marginalization that you will ever see. Although some displaced women quite remarkably show themselves to be resourceful, vibrant and receptive to new opportunities, many others are forced to live in camps and emergency shelters for decades, face discrimination in access to relief, receive limited health care, are subject to sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence, benefit in only small numbers from education and training, and have little or no possibility of participating in meaningful income-generating and employment opportunities.

- Interlocutor Review: NGO cooperation and partnership with UNHCR Source: UNHCR Document: Evaluation Date: January 23, 2007 Access: Open From August – November 2006 an “Interlocutor Review” focused on UNHCR’s NGO partners was carried out. The purpose of the Review was to assess how NGOs view their overall cooperation and partnership with UNHCR, and with the NGO Liaison Unit. Some 47 NGOs and 34 UNHCR colleagues were interviewed for this Review. If one overall conclusion were to be extracted from the Review, it is that the concept of partnership, while eloquently stated at UNHCR Headquarters level, is not exercised in practice at numerous field locations. While some NGO comments focused on technical aspects of field-level cooperation (late signing of sub- agreements, transfer of installments, budget cuts made with limited or no notice, and agency overhead costs), others felt that implementing arrangements and partnerships are often negatively affected by UNHCR attitudes towards NGOs.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 14 Issue 57– 03/15/2007

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]

Weekly Schedule

NCCI Coordination Meeting in Erbil next Monday. We have added on our weekly schedule some events hold in Iraq or Jordan that concern only specific invited people. They are highlighted 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.

Upcoming important dates

18th Marc h Prophet Mohammed’s death Imam Hassan’s death

19th Marc h Imam Ali Bin Musa Al-Redha’s death

21st March Nawroz (spring day – new Iranian and Kurdish year – Attacks might be expected against Kurdish and Iranian facilities and representatives across Iraq and particularly in Kurdistan region, Kirkuk and Baghdad.

22nd Marc h World Day for Water

Updates & Announcements

New Job Announcements on our website NCCI is seeking for a National Dialogue Follow-up officer in Iraq; an NGO is hiring a bookkeeper in Sulaymaniyah and an NGO needs urgently an experienced administrative officer in Baghdad.

------UN team schedule of events – March 2007 The UN team’s trainings and meetings schedule for September 2006

------New Campaign on Iraq Avaa z is a global activism network with almost a million members whose goal is to ensure that the views and values of the world's peoples affect global decisions. They are planning an urgent campaign on Iraq focus ed on the April conference. Their idea is to use their resources to amplify the voice and desires of ordinary Iraqis at potentially crucial moment. They are looking for their views about which policy demands to focus on, and potentially for their involvement in spreading the agreed message around Iraq.

------Call for Applications– WITNESS’ 2007 Video Advocacy Institute WITNES S is pleased to announce a call for applications to participate in our inaugural Video Advocacy Insti tute (VAI) in Montreal, Canada from July 15 to July 27, 2007. The Video Advocacy Institute, our newest initiative and the first of its kind, is an innovative program that will train human rights defenders to succe ssfully integrate video advocacy into their social change campaigns. The VAI will be held in association with Concordia University’s Communication Studies Program and Documentary Centre. For more information & the application form (Deadline March 25): http://www.witness.org/vai

NCCI’s Contact List

NCCI Weekly Highlight 15 Issue 57– 03/15/2007