IRAQ

INTERSOS undertook its first mission in Iraq in November 2002, and began operations in the spring of 2003. The organization’s initial activities, which began just before coalition troops entered Baghdad, included supplying chemotherapy drugs for children of the Al Mansur Hospital in Baghdad, emergency distribution, and mine/UXO clearance.

From the initiation of INTERSOS’ operations in Iraq, the organisation has declined financial support from governments of countries participating in the coalition. In 2005, the election of the Iraqi parliament and birth of a legitimate Iraqi counterpart led INTERSOS to accept support from the Italian government to better assist the Iraqi population.

In 2003, with the support of UNHCR, INTERSOS began assistance in the Al Tash camp to Kurdish returnees from Iran to Kurdistan. Assistance to abandoned elderly, protection of minors in the most depressed urban areas, and support of voluntary repatriation for refugees from Iran and Saudi Arabia followed soon after.

Between April and May 2004, during the Falluja siege, INTERSOS provided assistance (food, drugs, blankets and other non-food-items) to both people living in the city and displaced people arriving to Baghdad and temporarily living in mosques. In southern Iraq and Baghdad, INTERSOS’ international staff have been collaborating with local personnel starting since October 2004 by means of “remote management” due to security concerns. From both Kuwait and Rome, INTERSOS international staff give assistance and support to skilled INTERSOS Iraqi staff dealing with the implementation of the activities.

Despite security concerns, it is now more important than ever to provide physical and moral assistance to Iraq, where people are dealing with growing instability and insecurity, and increasing violence (political, criminal and, after the Samarra bombing in February 2006, sectarian), is bringing Iraq to the edge of a civil war. For that reason, today the INTERSOS Iraq mission operates in three areas: the southern governorates, Baghdad and Kurdistan.

In the south of Iraq, INTERSOS currently provides legal advice and assistance to persons of concern, establishing legal aid and advice centres throughout southern Iraq. Besides providing protection to refugees and asylum seekers and assisting IDPs and returnees inside Iraq, developing the capacity of its staff has been one of the most important objectives for INTERSOS’ Iraq operation. Several trainings and workshops have been conducted in Kuwait and Amman, including legal aid and support to lawyers. INTERSOS supports the voluntary repatriation of Iraqi refugees from Iran, facilitating their transit and onward transportation from its Transit Centre in Basra. INTERSOS Iraq has also carried out mine risk education, emergency response and community based mine risk education in Basra, Nassiryia and Baghdad Governorates.

In Baghdad a unique activity is currently underway: the telemedicine program between the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital (former Al Mansur) in Baghdad and the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome was started in 2004 with the aim of providing consultation and training on child haematology and general medical issues. Every week, two satellite teleconference sessions of 2 hours are set up with the help of the European Space Agency and the telemedicine company Telbios. The doctors in Baghdad and Rome meet by video to discuss cases, design cure treatment and for training sessions. All the data are then archived for further analysis and consultation through the internet. The first result has been a 50% decrease of the child mortality rate for the leukaemia type ‘APL’. The program is currently ongoing and an enlargement to other cities in Iraq (Basrah, Mosul. Erbil) is foreseen in future months.

In Kurdistan, the northern part of the country, the security situation has allowed for the return of international staff. In 2005 rehabilitation activities focused on voluntary repatriation from the central area were undertaken in Soulemaniya, while in Dohuk a training program began for local capacity development of social workers from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. This successful training program is being repeated in 2006, focusing on children protection.

There are currently 4 projects underway in Iraq, with 5 international and approximately 80 national staff.

1. Repatriation and Reintegration of Iraqi returnees and others of concern in Southern Iraq, funded by UNHCR. Basra.
2. Telemedicine and e-learning project between Iraq and Italy, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Baghdad.
3. Mine Risk Education Emergency Response, Community Based Mine Risk Education and Mine Risk Education Teacher Training in central and southern Iraq. Funded by UNICEF. Basra, Nassiriyah and Baghdad.
4. Training in Capacity Building for Social workers and Teachers from Iraq and Kurdistan funded by UNICEF. Dohuk, Kurdistan.