Humanitarian Access Severity Overview (November 2020)

DISTRICT ACCESS SEVERITY AS PERCEIVED UN BY HUMANITARIAN ACTORS In October 2020, OCHA conducted an Access Severity monitoring Duhok exercise consisting of focus groups discussions (FGDs) with UN agencies, and international and national non-government organizations (NGOs). The monitoring exercise aimed to determine humanitarian actors’ perceptions of access constraints in all districts in central and northern Iraqi Ninewa governorates. The focus group discussions found that 47 per Al- cent of districts covered by the HRP had moderate to high levels SYRIA of access difficulties. The districts with the highest access restrictions (28 of 60) mostly fall within the central and northern Salah Al-Din governorates of Anbar, Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Salah Al-Din. IRAN INGO

Diyala Although the access environment in Iraq remains difficult, discussion participants indicated a general improvement in district-level access conditions compared to April 2020. Baghdad Al-Anbar Previously, in April, humanitarian access had significantly JORDAN deteriorated in Iraq compared to access conditions at the end of Wassit 2019. However, district-level humanitarian access has generally Kerbala Babil improved since then, as COVID-19 restrictions such as curfews were lifted or relaxed and the government reestablished the Maysan Al-Qadissiya Al- access authorization mechanism for granting access to NGOs Thi Qar operating in federal areas in September 2020. SAUDI ARABIA Al-Muthanna

NNGO LEGEND Districts where COVID-19 related restrictions have impacted humanitarian operations Accessible / Low access constraints (Level 1): Relatively few access constraints. Armed actors, checkpoints, or other impediments such as administrative obstacles may be present and may impede humanitarian activities. However, with adequate resources and clearances, humanitarian organisations can still operate and reach all or nearly all targeted people in need. KUWAIT Moderate access constraints (Level 2): Armed actors, checkpoints, lack of security, administrative impediments, or other impediments may be present, and often result in restrictions on humanitarian movements and operations. Operations continue in these areas with regular restrictions. High access constraints (Level 3): Armed actors, checkpoints, high levels of insecurity, administrative obstacles, as well as other impediments are present and very often result in Low restrictions on humanitarian movements and operations. Operations in these areas face high difficulties and sometimes are impossible. Medium Methodology: In November 2020, OCHA conducted focus group discussions (FDGs) in with partner organisations, including UN agencies, INGOs and national NGOs, to systematically collect and distil High the opinions and perceptions of participants on the access challenges in central and northern Iraqi governorates. The district findings for all organisation types were applied to a three-point severity scale, ranging from ‘accessible’ to ‘high access constraints’, and the median scores indicate the overall access severities of districts.

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 1 Creation date: 2-12-2020 Sources: OCHA focus discussion group January to November 2020, HNO 2020 Feedback: [email protected] www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int IRAQ Humanitarian access difficulties by organization type

ACCESS CONSTRAINTS BY CATEGORY AND ORGANIZATION TYPES

Administrative Security issues or Interference in Presence of mines Difficult physical Restrictions on Violence against Fees at restrictions on hostilities impeding humanitarian or unexploded environment conflict-affected people’s humanitarian checkpoints humanitarian operations activities ordinance access to services and personnel, assets movements assistance and facilities

UN

Districts indicated yes 24 43 20 31 14 36 16 18 16 18 5 7 4 4 0 0 Districts indicated no INGO

12 55 16 35 20 30 9 25 8 26 5 7 3 5 0 0

NNGO

31 36 15 36 16 34 9 25 10 24 2 10 0 0 1 0 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACCESS CONSTRAINTS REPORTED IN MOST AREAS OF HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS Humanitarian partners reported various types of access constraints in 85 per COVID-19 containment measures implemented by the government throughout for movement and COVID-19 response activities. Moreover, districts with cent of districts in the central and northern Iraqi governorates. The severity of the country: in approximately 77 per cent of districts (46), all organization increased authorization requirements by specific actors, such as the Popular each type of constraint varies, both by humanitarian actor and location, but types (UN, INGO, NNGO) reported that their activities, including operations and Mobilization Forces (PMF) or by governorate military commanders (ISF), were several patterns are observed: administrative restrictions on humanitarian missions, had been affected by the COVID-19 containment measures. associated with higher access severity levels; i.e. districts requiring PMF or ISF movement was the most cited access challenge (72 per cent of districts), Commander authorization requirements tended to have increased access which, for non-government organizations, was primarily due to the suspension However, although the COVID-19 restrictions impacted most districts, the difficulties. (See also OCHA’s November 2020 Governorate authorization of national-level authorizations for NGOs in December 2019 and subsequent severity of impact varied, depending on the level of engagement between maps) difficulties with reestablishing the authorization mechanism. This was further Governorate-level authorities with humanitarian organizations, and how compounded by increased access difficulties related to the implementation of quickly and efficiently the authorities granted governorate-level exemptions

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 2 Creation date: 2-12-2020 Sources: OCHA focus discussion group January to November 2020, HNO 2020 Feedback: [email protected] www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int IRAQ Areas with high acute population needs by level of access difficulty

ACCESS DIFFICULTY LEVELS VERSUS AREAS WITH HIGH NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN ACUTE NEED OF ASSISTANCE ACUTE PIN, BY DISTRICT ACCESS DIFFICULTY LEVELS & HUMANITARIAN CLUSTER

TURKEY Area with high access constraints Low Moderate High 49K! Salah Al-Din Duhok Duhok 80K # People in acute need !81K 5K! Diyala 30K! 141K 75K347K 109K!! Accessible districts with High PIN !! 54K! 486KErbil Erbil 33K 33K 76K! ! 61K ! 1400K Difficult districts30 with High PIN 9K175KNinewa! 36K ! !78K!56K 19K Baghdad ! Kirkuk 31K 2K 5K! ! 861K 20K 861K Ninewa 39K! 58K Kirkuk140K Al-Sulaymaniyah 1K 610K 587K ! Al-Sulaymaniyah 425K 465K 352K Al-Anbar 56K! !61K !62K47K! !36K! IRAN 176K 100KSalah Al-Din 89K 25K 95K 33K 209K 117K 51K 117K 78K 70K Wassit ! ! Babil 25K! WASH CCCM 35K! 48K! 71K CHILD ! 23K! HEALTH SYRIA 70K HLP & MA ! VIOLENCE 71K Diyala EDUCATION

! PROTECTION 185K PROTECTION, SHELTER & & NFI SHELTER

! 25K ! GENDER-BASED Salah Al-Din !36K! ! FOOD SECURITY !! 5K ! Al-Anbar DISTRICTS WITH HIGH NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN ACUTE NEED by level of access difficulty 32K!! !Diyala 54K! 28K! Wassit Kerbala Babil Districts with a high number of people with acute need, with medium to high access difficulties¹ Al-Anbar Baghdad !88K 101K ! 41K! Al-Qadissiya Maysan 141K 101K 100K 75K Wassit Thi Qar 62K JORDAN Kerbala Babil 54K 54K 50K Al-Najaf 39K 36K 32K

MaysanAl-Basrah Al-Qadissiya

Al-Muthanna Heet Balad Tilkaef SAUDI ARABIA Al-Najaf Telafar

Thi Qar Al-Falluja Al-Hawiga Al-Muthanna Makhmour

Al-Basrah Al-Hamdaniya Ninewa Access severityAl-Anbar vs inter-cluster-needsKirkuk Duhok severityDiyala Salah Al-Din AREAS WITH HIGH ACUTE POPULATION NEEDS BY LEVEL OF ACCESS DIFFICULTY 4.0 Of 4.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Iraq, national-level authorities is needed to improve access conditions Accessible districts withLabel a high number of people with acute need Label 3.5 more than 1.88 million people in need, including approximately and ensure that acute population needs are addressed. 175K 440,000 IDPs living in camps and outside of camps, live in districts 3.0 with moderate to high access constraints in the governorates of However, the discussions also indicated eleven districts with high 2.5 88K 81K 78K 62K 71K Al-Anbar, Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, Salah Al-Din and acute needs (min. 25,000 individuals per district) located in Erbil, 2.0 61K 48K 30K 41K 36K Sulaymaniyah. Of these, twelve districts covered by the HRP, Al-Anbar, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Baghdad, Duhok, Kirkuk, Ninewa and 1.5

located in Al-Anbar, Diyala, Duhok, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Salah Al-Din Salah Al-Din governorates that are relatively accessible. Access score severity 1.0 Tikr it governorates have at least 25,000 people in acute need of aid and Unaddressed needs in these districts are more likely attributable to Erbil Kirkuk

Sumail 0.5 Beygee Al- Al- totaling more than 741,000 people, that also have medium or high factors other than access difficulties. Al- Al-Shirqat Al- Al-Shikhan 0.0

access difficulties. For these districts, more engagement by the Mahmoudiya

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sulaymaniyah Inter -cluster severity score humanitarian community with various governorate-level and Ninewa Al-Anbar Duhok Erbil Kirkuk Salah Al-Din Baghdad Al-Sulaymaniyah

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 1. The districts with at least 25,000 people in acute need. 3 Creation date: 2-12-2020 Sources: OCHA focus discussion group January to November 2020, HNO 2020 Feedback: [email protected] www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int IRAQ Humanitarian access, progress and gaps in response

Humanitarian response gaps in districts with difficult access: The access (Salah Ad-Din). In these districts, difficult access may be among the factors Recommendations: Regardless of the level of accessibility, for all districts severity monitoring exercise identified 28 districts with medium to high levels contributing to the relatively low humanitarian response levels. identified as having high gaps between in cluster targets vs beneficiaries of access difficulties. Four of these districts, Ana (Al-Anbar), Al-Ba’aj and Al reached, a more granular district-level review is recommended. The review (Ninewa) and Al-Risafa (Baghdad) have had full reach, i.e. no gaps are Humanitarian response gaps in districts in relatively accessible districts: should include an analysis of key stakeholders, humanitarian presence, indicated between intercluster targets and response. Two additional districts, Of the 32 districts that are perceived to be relatively accessible, only two district and activity prioritization, assessed needs, funding levels, and Sinjar (Ninewa) and Al Qa’im (Al-Anbar) have, as of October 2020, less than a districts, Al-Mada'in (Baghdad) and Halabcha (Al-Sulaymaniyah) have no cluster-specific constraints to improve humanitarian access in districts with 20 per cent gap in response. The high response reach (relative to other areas) response gaps. Two additional districts, Al (Diyala) and Al Mosul (Nine- increased access difficulties and inform and improve operations in accessi- may reflect higher prioritization and attention afforded to these districts by wa) reached at least 80 per cent of the humanitarian target. By contrast, 13 ble districts with relatively low humanitarian reach. humanitarian organizations. However, by contrast, eleven districts have a districts (63 per cent) located in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Al-Anbar, Baghdad, Duhok, minimum of 75 per cent gap in response; these include and Al-Rutba Erbil, Kirkuk, Ninewa, Salah Al-Din governorates are relatively accessible; how- (Al-Anbar), Al-Kadhmiyah (Baghdad), Al-Muqdadiya, Al-Khalis and Khanaqin ever, (as of October 2020) these districts have more than a 50 per cent gap (Diyala) Al-Hawiga (Kirkuk), Makhmour, Telafar, Tilkaef (Ninewa) and between humanitarian targets and actual beneficiaries reached.

TURKEY Duhok Accessible districts People targeted 149K % Reach of caseload 7 # Number of people reached 6 5 5 Proportion of people reached Erbil Ninewa 2 2 Low access severity 26K Medium access severity 141K Al-Sulaymaniyah High access severity Kirkuk Full Reach More than More than Less than Less than Less than IRAN 80% 50% 50% 25% 10% reach 18K 62K

SYRIA Salah Al-Din 12K Districts with Medium and High level Access Difficulties Diyala % Reach of caseload

16K Districts with High level Access Difficulties Districts with Medium level Access Difficulties 1 Al-Anbar Baghdad 8 6K 1 169K Wassit 5 JORDAN Kerbala Babil 1 3 3 1 1 Maysan Al-Qadissiya 1 1 Al-Najaf Full reach More than More than Less than Less than Less than SAUDI ARABIA Thi Qar 80% 50% 50% 25% 10% Al-Muthanna Al-Basrah

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 4 Creation date: 2-12-2020 Sources: OCHA focus discussion group January to November 2020, HNO 2020 Feedback: [email protected] www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int