To combine with NCCI charter, NGOs members have to pay the fees 3 months in advance. Those that have not paid yet are kindly requested to pay contacting Giovanna: [email protected] EDITORIAL Issue 86 – October 18th, 2007 ------The unassuming humanitarian actors

Admittedly, genuine NGOs working in Iraq are not visible. They are not present in the Media. You almost cannot hear a sound from them. They are not communicating with the outside world. They are not advertising. Admittedly this is a double edged sword. Because it allows other groups to claim, for their own profit, they are NGOs or humanitarian actors, when they are not. In GHT

I addition, it allows other organisations to take credit for NGO’s activities and programmes. L However, NGOs cannot communicate, mainly for the protection of the beneficiaries of their programmes, and the security of their staff. NGOs are H indeed, with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, amongst the few genuine humanitarian actors with a physical presence among vulnerable populations

G across Iraq. I Media often report Iraqi deaths. However, there are also hundreds of Iraqis injured by violence every month. Hospitals are saturated with patients, under- H staffed, and subjected to violence. It is NGOs that provide hospitals with supplies.

Y It is NGOs that take care of handicapped Iraqis. It is NGOs that cure crippled Iraqis. It is NGOs that rehabilitate them. L

K There are also thousands of Iraqi orphans. It is NGOs that meet their basic needs to survive. It is NGOs that support them psychologically. It is NGOs that take care E about working children providing solutions to families that allow children to

E return to school. It is NGOs that work with the most vulnerable of them, the streetchildren. It is NGOs that support them on daily basis. It is NGOs that run programs to reintegrate them into their families. It is NGOs that run youth and children centres. It is NGOs that provide psycho-social support to children. W I It is NGOs that go where the most vulnerable Iraqis are. It is NGOs that listen to displaced people. It is NGOs that talk to them. It is NGOs that know the misery of their daily life and their needs. It is NGOs that are part of the first responses provided by Iraqi solidarity mechanisms. It is NGOs that provide vulnerable Iraqis with food, non-food items, water, health care and legal support. It is NGOs that protect Iraqis. It is NGOs that lobby for human rights and women’s rights. It

NCC is NGOs that denounce abuses.

In the current context of mistrust, fear and daily risks, it is NGOs that meet with people where they live. It is NGOs that offer space to Iraqis to express themselves and converse. It is NGOs that activate reconciliation processes at the grassroots level. It is NGOs that, through linkages and the promotion of dialogue are building a true social fabric that will be the base of the future restoration of Iraq. When it is needed or becomes possible, it is NGOs that develop income

generation projects with communities.

All in all, it is NGOs that take the risks. More precisely, it is the NGOs’ staff, the real aid workers, who put their lives in danger to support the most vulnerable Iraqis. It is NGOs that respond to the needs of vulnerable Iraqis, regardless of their ‘colour’ or their background. It is NGOs that, on daily basis, are creative enough to find solutions to their beneficiaries’ problems. It is NGOs that find ways to access the most vulnerable populations in Iraq. It is NGOs that give them the possibility to have access to the aid they need. Above all, it is NGOs that with affected Iraqis on daily basis. Wherever they are. Whoever they are. Whatever their basic needs are.

It is also NGOs that are requested to be the most accountable to their beneficiaries; and they are. It is NGOs that are requested to be more fiscally responsible than most before the donor community; and they are. It is NGOs that are expected to be the most transparent type of organisation; and they are. It is NGOs that require themselves to be the most independent, the most impartial, the most irreproachable. So they tend to be.

On the other hand, it is not NGOs that are responsible for the war and the violence. It is not NGOs that contract killers. It is not NGOs that increase the corruption. It is not NGOs that are responsible for the 4 years of failures in the so-called “Iraq reconstruction”. It is not NGOs that use propaganda or marketing.

Despite such a context, it is NGOs that constantly open new spaces to respond to the needs of the vulnerable. It is NGOs that, silently, created and maintain the small humanitarian space where genuine humanitarian actors are active today.

What would the situation on the ground for Iraqis be without these genuine and courageous humanitarian actors? What would the living conditions of the most vulnerable Iraqis be without the work of NGOs and the Red Cross / Red Crescent movement, throughout the past four years? What would the scale of the humanitarian crisis be if the entire international community had adapted to the changed context in Iraq and responded concretely to Iraqi needs as quickly as NGOs did? If the support needed by Iraqis, and requested by NGOs, had been responded on time?

NGOs cannot prevent the whole humanitarian crisis in Iraq. NGOs cannot save Iraq. But, NGOs mitigate the impact of the humanitarian crisis on Iraqis; NGOs alleviate the suffering of Iraqis.

Please do not forget and do not neglect NGOs. Please do not abuse these vital humanitarian actors. ------Salaam, NCCI Team

NCCI Weekly Highlight 2 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

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

Advocacy

- The Real Iraq We Knew Source: Washington Post Document: Opinion By 12 former Army captains Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open As Army captains who served in Baghdad and beyond, we've seen the corruption and the sectarian division. We understand what it's like to be stretched too thin. And we know when it's time to get out. What does Iraq look like on the ground? It's certainly far from being a modern, self-sustaining country. Many roads, bridges, schools and hospitals are in deplorable condition. Fewer people have access to drinking water or sewage systems than before the war. And Baghdad is averaging less than eight hours of electricity a day. Iraq's institutional infrastructure, too, is sorely wanting. Even if the Iraqis wanted to work together and accept the national identity foisted upon them in 1920s, the ministries do not have enough trained administrators or technicians to coordinate themselves.

- Iraq's Brutally Wounded Source: Alternet Document: Photo Essay Date: October 18, 2007 Access: Open As Americans scramble for funding to try to help the many wounded veterans returning from war, many more thousands in Iraq have suffered equally horrific injuries, yet have virtually no way of receiving care. This is a slideshow of images from "Iraq, brutally wounded," followed by an interview with the photographer, Farah Nosh

- UN calls for inquiry into deadly US strike in Iraq Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 12, 2007 Access: Open The United Nations mission in Iraq urged U.S. forces on Friday to pursue a "vigorous" probe into an air strike that killed 15 women and children and said its findings must be made public so that lessons can be learned.

- The Iraqi Genocide Source: Vdare Document: Opinion by Paul Craig Roberts Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open Why has not the Turkish parliament given tit for tat and passed a resolution condemning the Iraqi Genocide? As a result of Bush’s invasion of Iraq, more than one million Iraqis have died, and several millions are displaced persons. The Iraqi death toll and the millions of uprooted Iraqis match the Armenian deaths and deportations. If one is a genocide, so is the other. It is true that most of the Iraqi deaths have resulted from Iraqis killing one another. But it was Bush’s destruction of the secular Iraqi state that unleashed the sectarian strife.

- Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq Source: Democracy Now ! Document: Interview of Dahr Jamail Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open As the UN calls for a vigorous investigation into a U.S. air raid that killed at least 15 women and children in Iraq, we speak to Dahr Jamail about his new book, the 2004 attack on Fallujah, the U.S. use of white phosphorous weapons, the role of Iran in Iraq and more

NCCI Weekly Highlight 3 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

Operational Humanitarian Space

- Interagency Protection Strategy: Lessons Learned - Draft Source: UNHCR Document: Article Date: October 18, 2007 Access: Members Minutes of the Interagency Protection Strategy meeting on lessons learned held in Amman on October 16th.

Blurring the Lines through Propaganda

- PRTs Magazine Source: USAID Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open The last propaganda tool to promote PRTs. All Iraqi provinces are served by Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which now number 25. Each team is a hybrid civilian-military force working to establish provincial governments and teach their leaders ways to govern transparently and effectively, promote economic development and respond to the basic needs of their constituents. There are 10 full-size PRTs, five smaller teams and 10 teams embedded within military brigades.

Humanitarian Needs and Assistance

- Hundreds forced to scavenge for food in garbage bins Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: October 17, 2007 Access: Open Mayada Zuhair, a WRA spokeswoman, said the survey showed an increase of 25 percent, since the previous survey in December 2005, in the number of mothers who fed their children either by scavenging in people’s rubbish bins or by becoming sex workers. Of the 3,572 respondents, 72 percent were women (mainly widowed) and of these 9 percent said they had resorted to prostitution and 17 percent said they scavenged for food in dustbins and at rubbish tips. The survey was published and distributed to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local government offices.

- RCA delivers President's Ramadan charity to Iraqis Source: UAE Interact Document: Article Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open The UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) has continued providing food stuff items at cost Dh3.675 million to Iraqi people during the Holy Month of Ramadan upon instructions of President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. About 100, 000 Iraqi families have benefited so far from the Ramadan meals in all Iraqi provinces.

Health & Mental Health

- Amman: Une Fenetre Ouverte sur l’Irak - In French Source: MSF Document: Webpage Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open Chaque jour, une centaine de civils sont tués en Irak, et l'on compte chaque mois plus de 14 000 blessés (source : rapport du secrétaire général de l'ONU, 1er septembre 2006). Pourtant, en raison des attaques ciblées contre les organisations internationales de secours, MSF ne peut intervenir directement en Irak auprès des victimes du conflit. C'est donc à partir de la Jordanie que MSF tente d'assister des confrères irakiens urgentistes, chirurgiens continuant à travailler dans ce pays malgré l'insécurité. MSF aide à la prise en charge de victimes de violence par le transfert de patients irakiens qui sont opérés à Amman, et par l'approvisionnement de structures de santé irakiennes. Slide Show: Iraq’s war wounded – In their own words (In French) Video: Parcours de Mouna, soignée a Amman - episode #1 (In French) NCCI Weekly Highlight 4 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- Iraqi doctor helps medevac the badly wounded, but the list keeps growing Source: Seattle Times Document: Article Date: October 23, 2007 Access: Open So far, the IOM has arranged for some 300 people to receive treatment in hospitals in 19 nations, including the United States. But for every injured child and adult who gains outside care, there are hundreds of others without such assistance. As the violence in Iraq rages on, the list of potential medevacs compiled by the Iraq Ministry of Health keeps getting longer. It now exceeds 6,000 people. Since the early days of the U.S. occupation, the hospitals have continued to struggle, buffeted first by looting and then by shortages of supplies, equipment, drugs and even IV fluids, which patients sometimes must purchase at the market before showing up at the hospital for surgery.bMany doctors have fled for the safety of other countries as security emerged as a dominant concern. Some have been beaten while trying to care for patients; others have been killed while traveling between their homes and the hospital.

- Expired reagents blamed for erroneous Rift Valley Fever results - In English and in Arabic Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open The reagents used for testing for Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Nassiriyah, a town about 300km south of Baghdad, had expired, local authorities said on 14 October. "Our specialists sent to double check for RVF among livestock in Nassiriyah found that the reagents used [in the initial tests] had expired and the retests done on samples sent to Baghdad showed negative results [for RVF]," Fayad Sulaiman, a senior official in the Ministry of Agriculture, said. "But we are still keeping a watch [on the situation]." WHO asks Iraq to probe reports of Rift Valley Fever

- Dogs in hospitals & pharmacies on the sidewalks – In English and Arabic Source: Niqash Document: Article Date: October 9, 2007 Access: Open Basra's Governmental Hospital, or General Maud Hospital, as it was called upon its establishment in 1918 after the British invasion of the city during the First World War, is one of the oldest of Iraq's hospitals. Experts, however, now consider it to be medically doomed, firstly because its building is so old, and secondly because of the terrible standards of its healthcare. The reality of the city's health standards can be gauged from the conditions of this institution, whose administration has not even been able to stop the onslaught of rats and the packs of stray dogs in its hallways. The situation in the other healthcare institutions is truly catastrophic in every way, from mismanagement to a dearth of medical staff and equipment, a lack of services and political party interference in the work of medical staff.

IDPs

- Iraq Displacement Assessment and Statistics report Source: IOM Document: Report Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open The estimated number of displaced since 22 February 2006 is almost 1,050,000 individuals. This figure, combined with the 1.2 million individuals2 who were internally displaced before 22 February, results in a total of 2.25 million IDPs in Iraq to date.

- UN refugee chief warns of N.Iraq refugee crisis Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open The U.N.'s refugee chief warned on Tuesday of the danger of a refugee crisis in northern Iraq, a day after Turkey's cabinet asked parliament for permission to launch an attack there against Kurdish separatists.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 5 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- Some families returning to Diyalah Province but lack supplies Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: October 14, 2007 Access: Open Some families have started returning to Diyalah Province in eastern-central Iraq after US troops ended operations against al-Qaeda fighters there on 8 October. However, most residents lack basic essentials, including food.

- Iraqi Arabs seek refuge in Kurdish north - In English and in Arabic Source: IRIN Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open According to figures compiled by local officials in the three provinces that make up Iraqi Kurdistan, at least 12,500 Iraqi Arab families (about 75,000 individuals) have fled to the region. Meanwhile, at the "border" between Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq, Kurdish fighters at checkpoints now stop and search Arab cars. Families are allowed in without permits, but single men must have a Kurdish sponsor and a work permit - a security measure to prevent militants from entering, the Kurdish authorities say.

Refugees

- Iraqi Refugees on the Road to Damascus Source: Common Grounds Document: Article Date: October 4, 2007 Access: Open All of this explains why Syria announced that it would be placing strict restrictions on refugees coming from Iraq as of September 2007. The announcement, which had a high tone of regret, said that Syria "can no longer take in any more." Visas would only be given to those coming for educational, business or scientific reasons. If Syria were to push further with its measures, or close its borders to Iraqi refugees immigrants, however reluctantly, it would create far more serious problems for all in the region and, ultimately, for the West.

- The forgotten refugees of the U.S. war on Iraq Source: Socialist Workers Online Document: Article Date: October 19, 2007 Access: Open More refugees than Darfur. A humanitarian disaster. The largest displaced population in the Middle East since the mass expulsion of Palestinians with the formation of Israel in 1948. That’s the reality of the Iraqi refugee crisis--denied by the U.S. government and routinely ignored in the mainstream media. At least 2,000 Iraqis are displaced every day, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). That’s more than 80 people per hour, around the clock--forced to flee their homes because of U.S. military activities, sectarian attacks and threats, and sheer desperation caused by the shattered Iraqi economy.

- Fortress Europe and the Iraqi "intruders": Iraqi asylum-seekers and the EU, 2003-2007 Source: UNHCR Document: Article Date: October 1, 2007 Access: Open The influx of Iraqi asylum-seekers since the invasion of the country by coalition forces in May 2003 has exposed the intention of European Union (EU) governments to harmonise their asylum systems to its first serious test. How have they acquitted themselves? This is the principal question which this article seeks to answer. Sadly, the data analysed hereunder show that so far there is little indication of better convergence in national asylum practice or increased sharing of responsibility to accept asylum-seekers among EU states. Judging by the findings of this article, the response of the EU and its member states to the Iraqi refugee crisis has been generally disappointing.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 6 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- UNHCR urges Europe to take in Iraqi refugees Source: AFP Document: Article Date: October 17, 2007 Access: Open The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on Europe to accept more asylum seekers from conflict-torn Iraq. "Keeping the asylum door open in Europe is absolutely crucial in the present moment," Guterres said before a meeting in Brussels with EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini. "The risk of asylum fatigue in the area is of course enormous," Guterres warned, adding that the level of international support is "totally out of proportion with the impact on their economy" from the refugees.

- Sweden shoulders the burden of Iraq's refugees Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open There seems to be increasing agreement that more must be done for refugees fleeing Iraq - but as Syria and Jordan effectively close their borders and other European countries continue to return Iraqi asylum seekers home, there are few countries willing to take in the displaced. So it should be no surprise that, of the Iraqi refugees who have made it beyond Syria and Jordan, the greatest number have headed north to Sweden, attracted by a reputation for generous welfare and refugee protection laws.

- Alone, Iraq's teenage migrants head for Sweden Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 17, 2007 Access: Open Aid workers say some 20,000 Iraqis have entered Sweden in the last year, including dozens of unaccompanied boys under 18, swelling the Iraqi diaspora to some 100,000. Some come hidden in trucks, some fly. Most remain deliberately vague about their route. Social workers say most have paid -- usually thousands of dollars -- to people smugglers who frequently beat, steal from or exploit them.

- Sudan finalizes preparations for hosting Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq Source: Palestinian Information Center Document: Article Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open The Sudanese ambassador to Jordan, Mohammed Osman, has affirmed that his country had finalized preparations for hosting Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq and stranded at its borders with Syria and Jordan. Osman told reporters in Amman on Wednesday that Khartoum had officially located the places those refugees would be hosted in the Sudan namely in the Khartoum and Northern provinces.

- Left in limbo, Iraqis wait for refuge in United States Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 14, 2007 Access: Open Ahmed Abassi once worked for the U.S. government in Iraq but fled with his family in fear, hoping to seek refuge in the United States. Two years later with his life savings gone and his family stuck in the United Arab Emirates, he is still afraid to return to Iraq where he could be targeted by militias.

- Syria's border closure hits Iraqi refugees Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 18, 2007 Access: Open Suffering kidney disease and living in a Damascus slum, Amal Jabar lost her only means of support when Syria closed its borders to Iraqi refugees a few weeks ago. "My son Mostafa used to come and bring me whatever little he scraped together from odd jobs in Baghdad. I would be starving now if it wasn't for charity," said Jabar, who fled from the al-Amel district in Baghdad, a focus of sectarian fighting.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 7 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

Education – Child Protection

- Iraqi Teens Work to Help Their Families Source: Alive in Baghdad Document: Video Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open The population of Iraq is estimated to be at least 50% under the age of 18. These children and adolescents are in dire straits due to the war. Despite the ongoing impact of violence and terrorism that affects all Iraqis, children must even risk their lives to get to school, and many have been forced to leave their friends and country when their families fled Iraq. Unemployment and desperation are leading many Iraqi children and teenagers to work to help feed their families.

- UNHCR helps Palestinians mark Eid in Baghdad Source: UNHCR Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open In Baghdad, UNHCR helped 120 Palestinian children who have lost one or both parents to observe Ramadan in dignity with their families. Implementing partner, Islamic Relief, provided food and children's clothing so that the Palestinians could enjoy this important date in the Muslim calendar. These Palestinians have lost a breadwinner and are effectively trapped in their homes, afraid to move but also afraid to stay.

- Iraqi children celebrate their return to school Source: UNICEF Document: Article Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open The first day back at school for students at Baghdad’s Al-Amal Primary School is a reason to celebrate. Children squeal with excitement as they see old friends. The playground, so bare and empty over the summer holidays, has filled with colour and sound. Last year was one of the most difficult in recent memory for for students here. Lessons were cut short by violence. Many teachers left. Classrooms and washrooms fell into disrepair and water was cut off. But this year, students and teachers have reason to hope.

- Iraq Appeal Source: War Child UK Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open This is hitting children hardest. Their childhoods are being stripped away from them. Many children have lost a parent or have to flee the communities that have supported them and so are forced to survive and help their families by working on the streets, undertaking hazardous work. As the last remaining international child protection agency in southern Iraq, War Child is determined to continue its work helping children and their families. But we urgently need your help.

Human Rights, IHL & Protection

- Human Rights Report #11 – In English and in Arabic Source: UNAMI Document: Report Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) issued its eleventh report on the human rights situation in the country covering the period 1 April to 30 June 2007. The report recognizes the challenges confronting the Government of Iraq in the face of ongoing violence and an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis. While the security situation remains grave, the report urges the government and state institutions to do more in ensuring better judicial oversight mechanisms for suspects arrested in the context of the ongoing Baghdad Security Plan and immediately address reports of torture in Iraqi Government facilities as well as those of Kurdistan Regional Government.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 8 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- Private U.S. Guards in Iraq Part of Booming, Mercenary-Like Trend Source: AP Document: Article Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open Private contractors like those implicated in the shootings of civilians in Iraq are part of a global trend of hiring recruits from one country to perform military jobs in another — a growing new form of mercenary activity, a U.N. expert said. U.N. wants security guards in Iraq to face law

- Blackwater and War Crimes: A Dangerous Equation Source: Washington Post Document: Opinion Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open We have only begun the scratch the surface of what the Blackwater era means, but to me a central question is our obligation as a society to continue to maintain the distinction between who and what is military and who and what is civilian. The more the military (and the American government) relies on civilian contractors with guns in war zones and on battlefields, the more it signals that those who wear the uniform of a recognized nation state are just one of many "combatants" out there. The distinction between what is military and what is civilian is thus eroded. In the current war -- one in which our enemies have made a point to obliterate that distinction -- I am not sure this is a difference we want to let dissolve.

- America's Own Unlawful Combatants? Source: Los Angeles Times Document: Article Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open Using private guards in Iraq could expose the U.S. to accusations of treaty violations, some experts think. As the Bush administration deals with the fallout from the recent killings of civilians by private security firms in Iraq, some officials are asking whether the contractors could be considered unlawful combatants under international agreements.

- Pink and Red Clouds... Source: Arab Woman Blues Blog Document: Blog Date: October 12, 2007 Access: Open Take for example Iraq. What used to be the opposite sex has become the opposing sex. The Authority per se, the Editor, the Censurer, The Controller, the Janitor, the Oppressor, the Killer... of Women. From being one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East in gender matters, Iraq has been turned in the space of 4 years into one of the most oppressive countries for women.

- U.S. Contractors in Iraq Rely on Third-World Labor Source: NPR Document: Article Date: October 10, 2007 Access: Open In military parlance, they're known as "TCNs" or "third country nationals," but they might as well be called third- world nationals. Most of the cheap U.S. labor in Iraq comes from places like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines and India. The average wage for these workers is about $20 a day; most work 12- hour shifts, seven days a week.

- Press Freedom Index – Iraq ranks 157 on 169 Source: Reporter Sans Frontiere Document: Index Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open The Reporters Without Borders index measures the state of press freedom in the world. It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists and news organisations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom. This ranking reflects the situation during a specific period. It is based solely on events between 1 September 2006 and 1 September 2007. It does not look at human rights violations in general, just press freedom violations.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 9 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

Agencies’ Communication

- Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 6 of resolution 1770 (2007) Source: UN Document: Report Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open In paragraph 6 of resolution 1770 (2007), adopted on 10 August 2007, 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 first submitted pursuant to that resolution. The report provides an update on United Nations activities in Iraq since the last report (S/2007/330) of 5 June 2007, with a focus on initial steps taken to implement resolution 1770 (2007). It presents a summary of key political developments during the period under review and the efforts of the Government of Iraq to promote national reconciliation, as well as regional and international developments pertaining to Iraq. The report provides an update on the activities of my Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, an assessment of the security situation and an update on operational and security matters.

- Update for Partners on the Situation of Children in Iraq Source: UNICEF Document: Report Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open UNICEF's most recent update for partners on our work in Iraq covering August and September. This document also reflects joint initiatives for both reconstruction and emergency response.

- NGO Micro Grant and Expanded Humanitarian Response Fund Bulletin No. 1 Source: OCHA Document: Report Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open This is an update on two funding mechanisms for humanitarian action in Iraq. The bulletin will onward be produced on monthly basis. The NGO Micro Grant has provided small-scale funds for NGOs operating in Iraq since 2004. The Expanded Humanitarian Response Fund (ERF) for Iraq was approved and established in May 2007 and is administered by OCHA. to date no projects have received final approval

______-----__ Iraq Context

General Overview

- Iraq Crisis Report (IraqHAR) Source: Centre of Excellence on Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Document: Weekly report Date: October 17, 2007 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: October 12-18, 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.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 10 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

Non-Violence and Reconciliation

- Biden's Immoral Blueprint for Iraq Will Only Cause More Bloodshed Source: Alternet Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open Two weeks ago, the U.S. Senate passed a nonbinding resolution supporting "regional federalism" in Iraq. The measure is a disaster waiting to happen, and should be called what it is: a blueprint for ethnic cleansing and potentially a full-blown civil war. Proponents of the plan deserve credit for understanding that there's no military solution to be found in Iraq -- that a political conflict requires a political fix. This already puts them miles ahead of the administration and defenders of the status quo, and they should be commended for seeking a practical way out of the mess created by the U.S. invasion.

- Iraqi refugees shed sectarian bitterness Source: AP Document: Article Date: October 13, 2007 Access: Open A dozen Iraqi men — Sunnis and Shiites alike — sat around a table in a Damascus restaurant, singing, drinking and sharing a camaraderie all but impossible in the sectarian killing fields back home. More than 2 million Iraqis have fled their homeland to escape Sunni-Shiite reprisal killings. Once they reach the safety of Syria and other countries, many Iraqis shed sectarian bitterness and seek support from fellow countrymen regardless of religious sect.

Iraqis Living Conditions

- The Iraqi Book of the Dead Source: OpEd News Document: Opinion Date: October 14, 2007 Access: Open My friend Betsy just sent me an e-mail. "The news last night said that Iraqis are starting to turn against extremists and starting to fight Al-Qaeda...is this wishful thinking or are people really talking about this in Baghdad?" Are they talking about it? Yes and no. Yes, they are talking about it, but, no, it is not the major topic of conversation. What everyone here in Baghdad is really talking about is DEATH. Death is everywhere here. It permeates the very air we breathe. It seeps into our conversations and into our dreams -- which explains why, since I have arrived in this country, I almost never sleep.

- Baghdad's concrete walls divide but protect Source: Alertnet Document: Article Date: October 18, 2007 Access: Open Walls are an emotive issue in Baghdad. Towering concrete barriers have mushroomed across Iraq's capital, put up by U.S. forces striving to cripple Sunni and Shi'ite militants. Critics argue the walls divide communities, stifle economic activity, imprison residents and only widen the sectarian rifts that remain at the root of Iraq's political gridlock. Proponents say walls protect single sect or mixed neighbourhoods alike, allow the security forces to choke off insurgent groups, make people feel safer and permit residents to start policing their own streets.

Violence and (Un-) security

- Slaughter of the Innocents Source: Counterpunch Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open Isn't it odd that in the air attack that the US military claims killed 19 high-ranking leaders of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and 15 civilians, all the slain Al Qaeda members were men and all the men were Al Qaeda, while all the civilians were women (6) and children (9)? Think about this a minute.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 11 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- Relations Sour Between Shiites and Iraq Militia Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: October 12, 2007 Access: Open The street militia of today bears little resemblance to the Mahdi Army of 2004, when Shiites following a cleric, Moktada al-Sadr, battled American soldiers in a burst of Shiite self-assertion. Then, fighters doubled as neighborhood helpers, bringing cooking gas and other necessities to needy families. Now, three years later, many members have left violence behind, taking jobs in local and national government, while others have plunged into crime, dealing in cars and houses taken from dead or displaced victims of both sects. Even the demographics have changed. Now, street fighters tend to be young teenagers from errant families, in part the result of American military success.

- Reporter For Post Is Fatally Shot In Baghdad Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open Saif Aldin always came back -- from death threats, from beatings, from kidnappings, from detentions by American soldiers, from the country's most notorious and deadly terrain -- but on Sunday he didn't. The 32-year- old Iraqi reporter in The Washington Post's Baghdad bureau was shot once in the forehead in the southwestern neighborhood of Sadiyah. He was the latest in a long line of reporters, most of them Iraqis, to be killed while covering the Iraq war. He was the first for The Washington Post.

- U.S. Investigates Civilian Toll in Airstrike, but Holds Insurgents Responsible Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: October 12, 2007 Access: Open The American military said on Friday that it was vigorously investigating a Thursday evening airstrike on a stronghold of insurgent leaders northwest of Baghdad that also killed nine children and six women. The civilian toll is one of the highest to result from a single American military action since the beginning of the Iraq war.

- Iraqi Writer Butheina Al-Nasiri on American Killings in Iraq Source: OpEd News Document: Opinion Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open Buthaina Al-Sasiri is a well-known and prolific Iraqi writer and journalist living in Cairo. She offers these thoughts on the wholesale slaughter of Iraqis by American forces, and on the routine and deceptive mis-identification of those killed (males) as "members of Al Qaeda":

- Petraeus: Al Qaeda remains 'wolf closest to the sled' Source: Christian Science Monitor Document: Article Date: October 12, 2007 Access: Open Although the top U.S. commander in Iraq says that the military has made substantial progress in its fight against the radical Islamic militants. General Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, spoke to a small group of reporters about 10 miles from the Iranian border. Among the challenges facing coalition forces there, the general listed the role of Iran, Shiite militias, strengthening Iraqi security forces, and working with the local and national government to meet the people's basic needs.

- Blackwater Guards Fired at Fleeing Cars, Soldiers Say Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: October 12, 2007 Access: Open First U.S. Troops on Scene Found No Evidence of Shooting by Iraqis; Incident Called 'Criminal'. Blackwater USA guards shot at Iraqi civilians as they tried to drive away from a Baghdad square on Sept. 16, according to a report compiled by the first U.S. soldiers to arrive at the scene, where they found no evidence that Iraqis had fired weapons.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 12 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

“Reconstruction” is not going so well…for Iraqis

- Falah Alwan: "the economic dimension of occupation" – In English and Arabic Source: Niqash Document: Opinion Date: October 7, 2007 Access: Open Falah Alwan, president of the Federation of Workers Councils & Unions in Iraq, explains to Niqash his opposition to the Iraq Oil Law. In his letter Alwan, in his position as a unionist, calls for preventing and stopping the Iraq Oil Law, whose draft has been sent to the parliament for approval. Alwan does not give an economic analysis or criticism of the law and its articles but expresses a political and unionist point of view. He calls for putting an end to the privatization of the Iraqi oil sector, which he perceives as the "economic dimension" of the American occupation.

- Iraqi Oil Spoils Source: New York Times Document: Editorial Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open Foreign oil companies are so eager for profits that they don’t seem worried about whether the deals are legally binding or how they may contribute to Iraq’s chaos. The White House needs to send a clearer warning to these companies — American and foreign — about the dangers of their course. It should also urge the companies to bring their own pressure on Iraqi officials to adopt a law that ensures that whatever system emerges is transparent, accountable and profitable for all Iraqis. Ignoring that is a recipe for continued chaos.

- Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S. Source: New York Times Document: Article Date: October 18, 2007 Access: Open Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese companies to build a pair of enormous power plants, the Iraqi electricity minister said Tuesday. Word of the project prompted serious concerns among American military officials, who fear that Iranian commercial investments can mask military activities at a time of heightened tension with Iran. The Iraqi electricity minister, Karim Wahid, said that the Iranian project would be built in Sadr City

- Billions over Baghdad Source: Vanity Fair Document: Article Date: October 14, 2007 Access: Open Between April 2003 and June 2004, $12 billion in U.S. currency—much of it belonging to the Iraqi people—was shipped from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad, where it was dispensed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Some of the cash went to pay for projects and keep ministries afloat, but, incredibly, at least $9 billion has gone missing, unaccounted for, in a frenzy of mismanagement and greed. Following a trail that leads from a safe in one of Saddam's palaces to a house near San Diego, to a P.O. box in the Bahamas, the authors discover just how little anyone cared about how the money was handled. Corruption in the reconstruction of Iraq

- Still heading backwards Source: Al Ahram Document: Opinion Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open Corruption and partition are the headlines in another dismal week in occupied Iraq. Crowds of Iraqis gathered at the gate of the Syrian Embassy in the once elegant neighbourhood of Al-Mansur in Baghdad, hoping against hope. The UN asked Syria to remove visa requirements for Iraqi applicants, but it didn't ask US occupation forces to improve conditions in Iraq or abide by international law; nor did it ask the Iraqi government to stop making excuses for deteriorating conditions in the country.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 13 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- Corruption in Iraq 'Pernicious,' State Dept. Official Says Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: October 17, 2007 Access: Open Official corruption in Iraq is "real, endemic and pernicious," and remains a major challenge to building a functioning, stable democracy there, a senior State Department official said yesterday in response to congressional charges that the department is concealing the extent of the problem. Satterfield's comments, in a conference call with reporters, followed angry congressional charges that the State Department has refused to respond to questions about the issue and has unnecessarily classified and redacted U.S. government documents outlining malfeasance in the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

- Senior officials said to have forged degrees Source: Azzaman Document: Article Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open Many parliamentarians, deputy ministers, governors and other senior officials have submitted forged certificates in order to keep their positions and earn higher salaries and additional bonuses. Cultural attaches in foreign countries particularly in Europe are reported to be under increasing pressure from these officials to certify university degrees despite lack of evidence that holders have attended classes in them.

Iraqi Political process

- Iraq: The Other Surge Source: The Nation Document: Article Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open Perversely, and entirely unintentionally, recent US-caused events in Iraq have sparked the one thing capable of both forcing an end to the American occupation and uniting the people of Iraq around a common purpose: Iraqi nationalism. Last seen, briefly, during the summer, when the Iraqi soccer team's victory brought its countrymen out in the streets in all shades of ethnic and sectarian variety, nationalism in Iraq has been revived recently as a result of three simultaneous US actions.

- Top Shi’ite seeks total US pullout Source: The Peninsula Document: Article Date: October 14, 2007 Access: Open Ammar Hakim, a leading figure of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), told a gathering celebrating Eid Al Fitr: “We will work not to have fixed bases for foreign troops on Iraqi lands.” “Federalism is one way to accomplish this goal,” he told hundreds of supporters gathered at the party’s headquarters in Baghdad’s Jadriyah district. Hakim said Iraqis suffered from the concentration of decision-making and management of national wealth in Baghdad, arguing that such system had turned the central government into a “tyrannical and dominating” body. “I call on the sons of our nation to create their (self-rule) regions,” he said. Al-Sadr bloc rejects federalism

Policies and Strategies

- The Pentagon's 100-Year War Source: Tom Dispatch Document: Article Date: October 11, 2007 Access: Open Tomdispatch's intrepid Pentagon correspondent Nick Turse -- whose new book, The Complex, on the military- industrial-academic-entertainment-everything complex, will be out in the spring -- spent time behind the closed doors of a Pentagon-approved conference that had in mind nothing less than planning weaponry, strategy, and policy for the next hundred years -– yours, mine, and our children's. So buckle your seat belt, prepare for G- force, and blast off into a future only a military planner could possibly love.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 14 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- Kurdish dreams find a foothold in Iraq Source: Los Angeles Times Document: Article Date: October 13, 2007 Access: Open Unshackled from Arab domination and the yoke of Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraqi Kurdistan has grown into a powerful incubator of Kurdish ambitions and nationalism. But the enclave in northern Iraq also has the potential to destabilize the Middle East, with recent tensions raising the specter of a regional war.

- Ex-Commander In Iraq Faults War Strategy Source: Washington Post Document: Article Date: October 13, 2007 Access: Open Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, who led U.S. forces in Iraq for a year after the March 2003 invasion, accused the Bush administration yesterday of going to war with a "catastrophically flawed" plan and said the United States is "living a nightmare with no end in sight."

- US 'delayed' British withdrawal from Basra Source: The Independent Document: Article Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open British forces were prevented from pulling out of their last base in Basra City for five months because the Americans refused to move their consulate, according to senior military sources.

- What happened to our obligation to Iraq? Source: The Independent Document: Opinion By Toby Dodge Date: October 14, 2007 Access: Open A leading opponent of the war says that in pulling out, politicians and the British Army are colluding in a reckless betrayal

- The Russia Problem Source: Stratfor Document: Article Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open Against the backdrop of the Iraq war, however, they have taken on far greater significance. Both Russia and the US are attempting to rewire the security paradigms of key regions, with Washington taking aim at the Middle East and Russia more concerned about its former imperial territory. The 2 countries' visions are mutually incompatible, and US preoccupation with Iraq is allowing Moscow to overturn the geopolitics of its backyard.

______Humanitarian world perspectives & Quality of Aid Through articles and Reports

- A Guide To Mediation Source: HD Centre Document: Guidance Booklet Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open In recent years, more armed conflicts than ever before have been resolved by peace processes centred on talks and agreements.1 The number of state and non-state organisations involved in mediation and peace-building has increased at all levels of society. Alongside this growth in organisations, a newly self-conscious discipline and profession of peace-making and peace-building is emerging locally and internationally across different cultures. To meet these responsibilities, mediators and peace process specialists need to operate to a high standard of professional conduct which combines certain essential attributes: awareness of the context in which they are operating; good insight into their distinct role as third parties, and high levels of knowledge and skill in key technical areas. Integral to this professionalism, is the need for mediators and peace process specialists to employ astute moral and political judgement to guide their choices in important matters of substance, process and relationships in peace processes.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 15 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- NGO Manager E-Library Update Source: NGO Manager Document: Various Date: October 15, 2007 Access: Open NGO Manager aspires to provide a comprehensive range of nonprofit management services to managers of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including training courses and consultancy, and research on how to improve management capacity building. As of now, the NGO Manager website provides a selection of the best management tools and key articles which are available on the internet free of charge. The NGO Manager’s E- Library currently contains links to more than 300 commented tools and articles. Hereafter are the new tools and guides available on the NGO Manager's E-Library Planning Overview Toolkit This CIVICUS toolkit introduces the different aspects involved in planning for an organisation or project. Civicus has a large range of useful toolkits. Strategic Planning Toolkit This CIVICUS toolkit provides a model of taking an organisation through a strategic planning process. It covers planning to do strategic planning, covering the background issues that need to inform or direct the strategic planning process, and then defining the strategic framework for the project or organisation activities. The project cycle: a teaching module This paper is found useful for both trainees and the trainers. It's a teaching module about the Project Cycle, beginning with good objectives of a plan and finishing with the evaluation. Introduction to Project Management This paper from PM4DEV presents the key ideas and concepts behind the use of modern project management methods for international development. Assessing Financial Vulnerability in the Nonprofit Sector Effective non-profit governance relies upon understanding an organization's financial condition and vulnerabilities. However, financial vulnerability of non-profit organizations is a relatively new area of study. In this paper, a more comprehensive model of financial vulnerability is proposed by adding two new variables to represent reliance on commercial-type activities to generate revenues and endowment sufficiency. Money Matters: The Structure, Operations and Challenges of Nonprofit Funding A new approach in analysing funding activities of the non profit sector focuses on contributions, cash, and debt not as a form of charity, but as a type of capital with its own terms and structure. This paper attempts to answer two fundamental questions: How is the non profit funding market structured? How well does that market structure function? Core Funding Strategies The costs of a project will always need to be funded, whether the organisation is running 30 projects or just three. They're fundamental to the organisation's survival, but can't be directly associated with any specific outcome. Focusing on these costs, this guidance note no 6 published by BOND presents a series of core funding strategies. Training the trainers - course manual The Training of Trainers Manual is a curriculum tool to prepare master-level peer education trainers. The manual uses participatory techniques based on a variety of theoretical frameworks to ensure that future trainers are skilled and confident in their abilities to train peer educators and serve as informed resources for their peers. The manual resulted from collaboration between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Family Health International. It was produced for the Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER), a project coordinated by UNFPA. All in Diary Have basic management tools always in your diary - a very pragmatic and hands-on approach from All in Diary: "The All In Diary is a practical tool for field-based humanitarian workers. It incorporates 50 information pages, each covering key topics related to Principles of Humanitarian Practice, International Standards, Managing People and Projects and Working with Communities. In addition the diary pages are formatted for recording notes and observations to support staff handover, monitoring and real time evaluation. An accompanying CD incorporates the 50 information pages, with each linked to supplementary practical tools and resources, developed within the humanitarian sector. The complete diary contents are available in freely downloadable formats from the All in Diary web site" YouTube now with special section for non-profit organizations Using YouTube to broadcast your cause: YouTube announced a new channel for non-profit organisations. The link shows some examples how YouTube can become a powerful tool to present your organisation and make new contacts.

NCCI Weekly Highlight 16 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007

- World Food Day: The Right to Food Source: HREA Document: Various Date: October 16, 2007 Access: Open This year’s World Food Day theme, "The Right to Food,” highlights a basic human right that is often ignored as severe food insecurity continues to afflict more than 850 million people. The right to food, according to international law, is the right of every person to have regular access to sufficient, nutritionally adequate and culturally acceptable food for an active, healthy life. It is the right to feed oneself in dignity, rather than the right to be fed Selected learning materials 1-Study Guide on the right to Food & Water An introduction to the right to food and water, including key definitions, international standards and references to other advocacy, education and training materials. 2-World Food Day Exercise for a workshop setting about World Food Day (16 October). Participants will learn how to differentiate between "wants" and "needs"; distinguish among: hunger, malnutrition, and starvation; develop some perspectives on global hunger, including the ranking of several countries; develop some comparative skills in analyzing the causes of hunger in your country; devise some policies to respond to issues of hunger, taking "globalization" into account. 3-Nutrition Rights: The Human Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition The purpose of this text is to help readers understand the meaning of economic, social and cultural rights through study of the human right to food and nutrition. The text can be used for self-directed learning, in a training or classroom. Selected Statements 1 -UN Special Rapporteur On The Right To Food Deplores Increase In The Number Of People Suffering From Hunger 2 -Action Against Hunger: The State of Global Malnutrition 3 -Louise Arbour: 'When hunger and malnutrition persist, there can be no justice or security' 4 -FAO insists on food as a human right 5 - Secretary-General's message on World Food Day

NCCI Weekly Highlight 17 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007 Th is 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

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.

Upcoming important dates

November 5th Anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s death sentence

November 16th International Day for Tolerance

Updates & Announcements

NCCI Recruits Amongs t other positions, NCCI urgently needs to recruit a Programme Evaluator to conduct the evaluation of the Iraqi National Dialogue Workshop (Phase I) – more details and Evaluation TOR on the link above.

Other NGO Vacancies and CV on our website ------Call for Applications- 29th International Human Rights Training Program (IHRTP)

Ste-A nne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada, June 8 –27, 2008. The IHRTP is organised by Equitas and is intended for human rights workers and educators. The goal of the IHRTP is to strengthen the capacity of huma n rights organizations to undertake human rights education aimed at building a global culture of human rights. The Application form provides a detailed description of the Program. Please note that the dead line for receiving applications to participate in the IHRTP is December 3rd, 2007 and that only the 2008 Applicat ion Forms will be accepted. Should you have comments or questions, please do not hesitate to conta ct Chris Bradley ------Call for Papers - "Libraries from Human Rights Perspective"

Ram allah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS) in cooperation with IFLA will arrange an internat ional conference on Libraries from Human Rights Perspective in Ramallah 31 March to 2 April 2008. The Center invites interested writers and researchers to submit abstracts for their papers in either Engl ish or Arabic. Abstracts are due by 30/11/2007. The center will cover participation expenses of research ers whose papers are accepted with a symbolic cash award, in addition to publishing all papers in Arabic and English in the conference proceedings book. Contact: Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies; P.O Box 2425 Ramallah, Palestine ------Training - Senior Security Management Workshop

The Harvard University Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) is offering a Senior Security Management Workshop in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) in Geneva, Switzerland. The course is part of the Security Management Initiative (SMI). The registration form for the event can be downloaded here. ------UN team schedule of events – October 2007

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NCCI Weekly Highlight 18 Issue 86 – 10/18/2007