Jordan Times
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Baghdad in reconstruction driver seat
By Hala Boncompagni
Agence France-Presse
AMMAN — The United Nations has expressed its satisfaction over the outcome of an
international donors meeting that has propelled the Iraqi authorities in the
driver's seat of the country's reconstruction drive.
"It has been an extremely positive meeting. There was clarity on the Iraqi side
on what needs to be done and they have now taken the driver's seat in terms of
donor coordination," said Bisrat Akillu, UN executive coordinator of a UN trust
fund for Iraq.
"The Iraqis have presented a national development strategy which clearly says
where the donors should focus and that is what we are going to work on now,"
Akillu told AFP at the end of the two-day meeting hosted by Jordan.
The United Nations is among the key players involved in Iraq's reconstruction
process and administers with the World Bank a $1 billion trust fund from money
committed by some 25 donor countries.
The UN share of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI)
totals $667 million.
According to Akillu, some 59 projects worth $586 million are being implemented
across Iraq, although not all of the money has been disbursed yet.
"Projects totalling $398 million have been contractually committed to provide
basic social services and out of that $218 million have been paid out from July
2004 to the end of June 2005," Akillu told AFP.
The UN spent the money on a vast range of projects, from rehabilitating schools
to hospitals, water and power plants, vaccination campaigns for children as well
as technical and logistical support to the January elections.
"Despite the security situation and the challenges of working currently in Iraq
the UN utilising its national staff, line ministries, local contractors, has
been able to deliver a very high rate of implementation," Akillu said.
"This really shows that work can be done ... and the donors have recognised that
... resources can be effectively utilised and more contributions and
disbursements are needed to the trust fund," he said.
The World Bank has $365 million in projects being implemented in Iraq, where its
goal is to build Iraqi institutional capacity and Iraqi ownership of projects.
Reports submitted by the World Bank and the United Nations to the conference in
Jordan underscored the need to pass the mantle of reconstruction to Iraq — a
request made by the Iraqi authorities as a measure to strengthen their
legitimacy.
As a result, donors agreed in principle to launch the Iraq Reconstruction Forum
(IRFO), a larger and more inclusive donor coordination consultative group aimed
at "supplementing the more restrictive IRFFI," officials have said.
IRFFI Chairman Michael Bell of Canada said the new body, expected to be formally
adopted in two weeks, "is one of our most significant accomplishments" that will
"ensure that money, funds and efforts are directed where they are most needed."
IRFO will allow nations and organisations which cannot afford the required $10
million membership fee imposed by IRFFI to help Iraq get back on its feet, and
will be chaired by Iraqi Planning Minister Barham Saleh.
Saleh urged donors to get more involved in Iraq, saying the key to success was
partnership rather than Iraqi dependence on the international community.
He also insisted that focus should be given to deliver basic services to reach
the largest possible number of the Iraqi people, whose conditions, marred by
wars and economic blockades, failed to improve two years after the ousting of
Saddam Hussein's regime in a US-led war.
"One of the major changes between this meeting and others is that the Iraqis
came to us saying 'don't dilute your efforts by doing small things here and
there. Focus on basic social services," Akillu said.
"In the past, given the situation in Iraq, everything was a priority, everything
was required. Now they said they want to focus on activities that are going to
bring meaningful change to the average Iraqi.
"The donors were very, very responsive," Akillu said.