Supporting Recovery and Development in the Region

July 2009 United Nations Development Programme Supporting Recovery and Development in the

UNDP- in Partnership with the Kurdistan Region

Since 2003, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been supporting the work of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in its efforts to reconstruct and develop the Kurdistan region. Based on the legacy of UNDP’s Electricity Network Rehabilitation Programme implemented from 1996 to end 2002, several initial projects undertaken by UNDP focused on infrastructure activities. Since these early days, UNDP’s support has expanded to cover a broad spectrum of projects covering many sectors across the three governorates. These have ranged from short-term income generation initiatives for vulnerable groups, mine victim assistance and response to the cholera outbreak to more upstream activities such as the development of a donor assistance database for aid coordination, loan management, budget execution and public finance management. It is also supporting the KRG in rule of law, human rights and justice issues as well as water sanitation master planning and capacity building programmes.

Reflecting its broad development mandate, UNDP Iraq currently operates in Kurdistan across the following four programmatic areas: (1) Recovery and Crisis Prevention; (2) Governance and Civil Society; (3) Poverty Reduction and Human Development; and (4) Mine Action. Following restructuring in summer 2009 UNDP Iraq will operate under two programmatic pillars: (1) Governance and (2) Economic Recovery and Poverty Alleviation.

In 2009, UNDP renewed its commitment to assist the KRG and has expanded its support in all the areas under its development mandate. This brochure provides a brief summary of UNDP activities in Kurdistan, project locations, regional, national and international development partners as well as current financial resources invested in developing this region. Recovery Governance Poverty Reduction Mine & Crisis & Civil & Human Action Prevention Society Development

Donor Construction of Maternity and Child Hospital Donor Electricity Sector Reconstruction Project in Kurdistan Region Budget: USD 9.5 Million Budget: USD 6.5 Million Location: Halabja, Sulaimaniyah Governorate Location: Dohuk, and Sulaimaniyah Governorates

With funding from the Government of Japan and as part of the “Conflict Victim The Regional Ministry of Electricity in Kurdistan (RMEK) and UNDP signed a cost-sharing Assistance in the Northern Region of Iraq” project, UNDP is executing the construction agreement on 17 November 2008. Resources were made available to the Government of Halabja Maternity and Child Hospital (MCH) in the town of Halabja through the of Iraq by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as ODA loan. In partnership NGO Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) its implementing partner . The project includes with JICA, UNDP will provide procurement advisory services to RMEK and supervise the construction of a 50-bed MCH, equipped with specialized and general equipment, construction of a staff housing facility as an annex to the Halabja General Hospital and implementation works of subprojects (installation and commissioning, etc.) in order to delivering a capacity strengthening programme. provide better electricity services for the Kurdistan Region.

Donor Installation of Small Diesel Generators, O&M and Donors Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Civil Aviation Capacity Building at Health Care Facilities in Halabja Budget: USD 3.3 Million (nationwide) Budget: USD 5.4 Million Location: Halabja and Bamook, Sulaimaniyah Governorate Location: Erbil and Sulaimaniyah Airports With funding from the Government of Sweden and as part of the “Support to the Iraqi As a joint initiative between UNDP and US Department of State, in partnership with Electricity and Health Sectors in the Emergency and Long-Term Context” project, UNDP the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a mission was organized in is executing an electricity and health support project in the town of Halabja with the aim November 2008 to identify the needs of Erbil International Airport. The mission also of providing uninterrupted power supply to Halabja General Hospital. Provision of 24/7 met Sulaimaniyah airport staff concerning compliance with the Standards and hours electrical power supply to the Halabja General Hospital will be achieved by Recommended Practices of ICAO. The findings were factored into a draft Civil installing one additional 500 kA Small Diesel Power Generation Set (SDG). Two SDGs as Aviation Master Plan document presented to key stakeholders in in March standby units (300kVA & 500kVA) have been installed in Bamook village for electrical 2009. A follow-up visit to Erbil, including a number of training workshops on aviation power supply to the village residents and essential services. economics and safety management systems, took place in June 2009.

Donor Community Awareness Campaign for Water Conservation Donors Improving the Housing Delivery System in Erbil Budget: USD 0.1 Million Budget: USD 1.3 Million (UNDP Component) Location: Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah Governorates K R G Location: Erbil City On 28 April 2009, UNDP's initiative for Community Awareness Campaign Project for UNDP and UN-HABITAT jointly launched a project to improve the housing delivery Water Conservation for the three northern Governorates kicked off. The project was system in Erbil in the beginning of May 2009. The Erbil housing strategy, which the project aims to support, proposes to address serious housing problems such as initiated by UNDP following the endorsement by the Ministry of Municipalities. The substandard and informal housing on the one hand, and over-design and poor energy project’s duration is 16 weeks and will be undertaken in five phases. Steering efficiency on the other. UNDP's specific role is to lead on energy-efficient housing Committee has been established to monitor the project. Focal points have been design and construction for slum improvement. This builds on experiences targeting issues of similar nature elsewhere in the world. The project is funded through the identified from both UNDP and the Ministry of Municipalities to follow up and Multi-Donor Iraq Trust Fund with a contribution from the Government of Korea and co- coordinate project activities. financed by . Following restructuring in summer 2009 UNDP Iraq will operate under two programmatic pillars: (1) Governance and (2) Economic Recovery and Poverty Alleviation.

Donors Budget Execution Support to KRG Donor Gender Based Violence (GBV) Proposal Budget: USD 1.4 Million Budget: USD 0.6 Million Location: Kurdistan Region Location: Kurdistan Region

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has requested the support of UNDP for the UNDP has been in extensive discussions with several key ministries in the Kurdistan Region establishment of its Public Finance Management Action Plan (PFM). In this connection on 5-6 to shore up UNDP´s support to initiatives that are aimed at fighting violence against women. May 2009, a two-day Conference was held to adopt the KRG PFM Action Plan and to launch This issue has been a priority for the Kurdish Regional Government and several steps have the Budget Execution Support Project, developed by UNDP in support of the KRG Ministries been taken to address both legal reforms as well as improvements in law enforcement. of Finance and Planning. The adopted Action Plan provides an overall policy and operational UNDP is proposing a national programme on “Family Protection, Justice and Security” that framework for designing and implementing an integrated PFM reform and institution will span three years and aims to address GBV on three different levels namely: law building programme, aligning this programme with the national PFM Action Plan, fostering enforcement, access to justice for GBV victims and economic and social empowerment for coordination and mobilizing donors' support. survivors of GBV.

Donor Development Assistance Database (DAD) Donor Capacity Development in National Aid Management Budget: USD 2.6 Million Budget: USD 2.5 Million (nationwide) Location: Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah Governorates K R G Location: Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah Governorates UNDP are working closely with the Ministry of Planning (MoP) to establish a Development UNDP is supporting the Ministry of Planning to establish an External Resources Management Assistance Database (DAD-KRG) to track, prioritise and manage external assistance in line Unit (ERMU) to manage and coordinate external resources and enhance project with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (see www.krgdad.com ). The objective is to development, monitoring and reporting with all stakeholders. ERMU provides a platform for promote the harmonization of aid flows under the leadership of the KRG and ensure increased intergovernmental coordination of aid flows, in particular through close alignment with national and regional strategies. The MoP successfully launched DAD KRG in collaboration with the central government, as well as improved alignment with national 2008 and it now serves as the only public, consolidated source of aid and development budget capital investment. Last year, UNDP supported the establishment and staffing of the projects in the Region. The database is synchronized with the wider DAD Iraq, managed by ERMU including the production of a Strategic Development Plan. In 2009, ERMU released the MoPDC in Baghdad. In 2009, line ministries and donors have been trained on how to use the first analytical report on aid flows to the Region and will continue to receive customised DAD and a portal will be launched to improve information sharing. training from UNDP to develop their aid management capacity.

Donor Media-Establishment and Consolidation of an Independent News Agency Donor Rule of Law and Justice Budget: USD 6.1 Million (nationwide) Budget: EUR 14 Million (nationwide) Location: Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah Governorates Location: Kurdistan Region This project, initially implemented by Thompson Reuters Foundation, has established an UNDP is supporting KRG Ministry of Justice in the Rule of Law sector aims at improving the independent news agency in Iraq, Aswat al-Iraq www.aswataliraq.info (Voices of Iraq), run by, judicial system in Kurdistan region. This falls within the framework of a nationwide project and primarily for, from all sectors of society. Twenty one intensive training workshops for judicial and legal reform. The three-year project to promote and strengthen the Rule of have been held for a total of 159 journalists. A training component gave journalists' intensive Law includes: the establishment of a model court in Erbil; and translate the Iraqi legal on-the-job news desk experience, training in news reporting and photography. Aswat al-Iraq Database into Kurdish. For this purpose, UNDP has conducted several meetings with the has become a recognized, credible and important part of the national media of Iraq; its news Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Council. The project also includes capacity building for reports in , English and Kurdish, are now widely published and credited in the Iraqi and judges and lawyers in the Kurdistan region. Arab regional media. Donor Local Area Development Programme Donors Capacity Development of Government Counterparts Budget: USD 2.1 Million Budget: USD 1.2 Million (nationwide) Location: Sulaimaniyah Governorate Location: Erbil and Sulaimaniyah Governorates With funding from the European Union, and as part of the Local Area Development Through two projects aiming at institutional development funded by the Governments Programme, UNDP is strengthening the capacity of the local authorities to plan and of Italy and USA, UNDP has been providing technical and managerial support to the manage reconstruction and development activities. This includes the formulation and Mine Action Agency (IKMAA) based in Erbil and the General Directorate implementation of rights-based, gender sensitive district development plans. This of Mine Action (GDMA) based in Sulaimaniyah. In 2008, cooperation and coordination initiative also aims at stimulating local economic development through a number of between IKMAA, GDMA and mine action authorities in Baghdad and have short-term fast track projects. These provide employment for local people and improve improved through UNDP-facilitated mine action exchange programmes and technical social and physical infrastructure using labour intensive approaches. They are also training courses. Several meetings and site visits have enabled them to share their enhancing service delivery capabilities of the local government. Twenty-five fast track operational systems and procedures as well as lessons learned to their colleagues from projects are being implemented by UNDP in Sayed Sadiq and Shahrazour districts. Baghdad and Basra, thus increasing self-awareness and organizational capacity of the IKMAA and GDMA. UNDP is also donating explosives required for humanitarian Donor Impact Assessment and Recovery and Mitigation Framework demining to IKMAA and GDMA through this project and ITF funded projects. Budget: USD 0.2 Million Location: Kurdistan Region UNDP Partners in the Kurdistan Region A fully elaborated Drought Impact Assessment and Recovery and Mitigation Framework is being established by UNDP, funded by UNDP core resources and KRG. This initiative is Regional/National: expected to: (1) enhance regional capacity and tools to better monitor the KRG Office for Coordination of United Nations Affairs, KRG Ministries of Planning, developments of the drought-related conditions and early warning, (2) coordinate Municipalities, Finance, Electricity, Water Resources, Environment, Health, Justice, various relief and recovery activities, (3) attract and better manage external resources Construction and Housing, Labour and Social Services, Erbil Governorate, Sulaimaniyah and, (4) provide substantive assistance to the regional Government in the formulation of Governorate, Dohuk Governorate, Erbil Municipality Investment Board, Contractor’s Union a regional Drought Impact, Recovery and Mitigation Framework. Erbil, Salahaddin University, Board of Supreme Audit, Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency, Sulaimaniyah General Directorate of Mine Action. Donors Victim Assistance International: Budget: EUR 4.3 Million UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI); UN World Health Organization (WHO); Location: Kurdistan Region UN-HABITAT; UN Children's Fund (UNICEF); International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); Through the project Conflict Victim Assistance in the Northern Region of Iraq funded by International Labour Organization (ILO); International Organization for Migration (IOM); UN the Governments of Japan and Australia, UNDP is supporting three orthopedic centres in Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); UN Office for Project Services Diana, Dohuk and . The project offers socio-economic rehabilitation and (UNOPS); UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); Peace Winds Japan (PWJ); Japan reintegration of mine victims into society through the provision of training for personnel International Cooperation Agency (JICA); World Bank; Agency for International at rehabilitation centres as well as vocational training for persons with disabilities. Three Development (USAID); Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). NGOs have provided 9,118 physiotherapy services, 3,374 mobility aids and 3,769 ortho- prosthetic devices to people with disabilities. Thirty-four persons graduated from Funding Contributors: vocational training as carpenters, blacksmiths, tanners and tailors. 116 persons with Kurdistan Regional Government, Governments of Australia, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, disabilities have benefitted from income generation projects. Thirty-six persons with Sweden, United States of America, European Commission, Japan International Cooperation disabilities benefitted from house modifications for easier mobility in their homes. Agency, United Nations Development Group-Iraq Trust Fund. United Nations Development Programme

N

WE

S

UNDP Offices in Iraq Erbil Baghdad Basrah For more information http://www.iq.undp.org email: [email protected] Phone: 00 962 6 560 8330 The boundaries, names and designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations Fax: 00 962 6 560 8331