EMRO INTER-AGENCY UPDATE FINAL 7 August

UNITED NATIONS INTER-AGENCY INITIATIVES IN EMERGENCY AND HUMANITARIAN ACTION

Update on region specific initiatives/EMRO 19 July – 1 August 2003

If not specified otherwise, copy of all WHO contributions to UN partners in any of the subjects below is available at EHA/Geneva. Please contact Tanja Sleeuwenhoek: [email protected]

Horn of Africa s On 23 July, during the weekly IASC meeting, UNICEF provided an overview of the mission by M. Ahtisaari, UN Special Envoy for the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, from 2 – 9 July 2003. WHO participated in this mission at the field level. s The mission’s main objectives were to a) raise awareness, b) to secure funds to match the needs and c) to address the underlying structural causes and long-term problems especially within regard to food security. Focal point: Lianne Kuppens, [email protected]

Iraq Background documents s Background documents on Iraq are posted on the Iraq Crisis Information System, www.mayeticvillage.com/who-his, which is a password protected WHO web site, designed for sharing and storing information related to health and Iraq. Please contact Ellen Egan, [email protected], to get a password. Reconstruction s The Conference on Reconstruction will take place on 23, 24 and 25 October. As to the venue, Spain and the U.A.E. have offered to host the meeting. s On 30 July, the UNDG Technical Working Group on Iraq debated recent developments and the status of the needs assessments. s On 30 July, in Washington D.C., the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, UNDP, UNHCR, WHO, WPF and FAO briefed the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the health situation in Iraq. s On 25 July, in New York, there was a first meeting of the Liaison Group (interested member states) on Iraq reconstruction. Agenda items included winding down of oil-for-food, security issues, UNDG/WB needs assessments, an update on planning for a multi-donor trust fund and a brief on the recent OECD/DAC meeting on “the DAC reflection on Reconstruction in Iraq”. s A Core Group of donors and concerned agencies (EU, Commission and Presidency, Japan, UAE, US, UNDP, World Bank, IMF and CPA) has been established for Iraq. s The next Liaison Group meeting is scheduled for 5 September. s On 24 July, the Core Group on Iraq discussed by teleconference the CPA budget, security, the Liaison Group and the timing and venue of the October Donors’ Conference. s Jean-Jacques Frere, Senior Public Health Specialist, World Bank, in his report on World Bank Mission to Baghdad, July 2003, praises the draft Watching Brief jointly prepared by UNICEF and WHO, containing “extremely useful information about the health sector and the health status of the Iraqi population”. He indicates that the content of the note prepared by D. Nabarro during his June visit remain valid. s A background paper and literature review on women in Iraq, compiled by UNIFEM is on file in EHA. The document was prepared in order to support the work of the 14 sectoral needs assessments and provides many useful links.

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Gender is one of the three cross cutting areas of focus, in addition to human rights and local capacity building. UNDG Technical Working Group on Iraq – web site s The UNDG Technical Working Group on Iraq has launched a password protected web site http://iraq.undg.org as a functional tool for the Needs Assessment teams, Liaison Group and other stakeholders involved to share information regarding the Needs Assessments Process for Iraq. For registration, please contact Gabriele Kodura, UNDP, at [email protected] s Once documents are finalized for public consumption, they will also be available on the Humanitarian Information Center on Iraq web site at www.humanitarianinfo.org/iraq/ and the World Bank/Development Gateway web site www.develomentgateway.org Coordination s On 31 July, the Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ross Mountain debriefed donors in Geneva on his mission to Iraq from 18-28 July 2003, updating on the latest humanitarian and security situation and on coordination and transition issues. s On 29 July, Ross Mountain informally briefed Inter-Agency Standing Committee members on his recent mission to Iraq. s Pursuant to paragraph 24 of SC resolution 1483 (2003), the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, reported on 22 July to the Security Council. The report (document S2003/715) sets out the operational context of the UN’s role in assisting the people in Iraq and recommends an overall approach and structure for the UN presence in Iraq until the end of 2003, including the termination of the oil-for-food programme in November 2003. Paragraph 65 states that the “health care system in most of the country is operating at 30 to 50 per cent of pre-war capacity”. s Health efforts in Iraq are underlined in the weekly update No.15 (16-22 July) of the UN Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq. s During the June/July 2003 deliberations of the UN Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP) Advisory Board and the UNF Board of Directors the WHO proposal “reconnecting the Iraqi Health System” has been approved for funding. Mine Action s A power point presentation on UN Mine Action Emergency Response for Iraq is on file in EHA. European Commission s The European Commission has approached WHO, requesting to be associated to the needs assessment process in Iraq for the health sector. Radiation Injuries s Information on radiation injuries that will allow local doctors to recognize people with radiation injuries, prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency and WHO can be accessed on line in all UN languages, including Arabic: http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/pub_meet/joint/ Focal Point: Khalid Shibib, [email protected]

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