During the past few days ongoing military operations and IS counterattacks have forced thousands of families to flee their homes in the governorate of Anbar, and especially in the city of Ramadi. These new internally displaced persons (IDPs) are trying to make their way to safer areas of Iraq in the governorates of Baghdad, Babil, Kerbala and Najaf. These locations did not foresee this huge new wave of displacement and are not properly equipped to respond to this humanitarian crisis. Other IDPs are still on the road and are in urgent need of shelter, food and water. In light of this unfolding crisis the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MoMD) organized an Emergency Cell meeting on 18 April. NCCI…

Information sharing between NGOs and other actors in the humanitarian field in Iraq is one of the core tasks of the NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI). In this light, NCCI hosted a meeting between OCHA and a number of NGOs in its office in Baghdad on 12 April to discuss the development of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Iraq. The meeting was attended by representatives from OCHA, 14 international and national NGOs, and the British Council. At the meeting, OCHA briefed the attendants on the new Humanitarian Response Plan and the Iraq Humanitarian Fund (IHF). The IHF is a pooled funding mechanism which aims to cover a part of the priority funding needs identified by the HRP. The…

As part of its mission to coordinate NGO action in Iraq, the NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) facilitates a number of thematic working groups. These working groups focus on a specific theme and aim to share information and concerns, and to develop common action points. On the 9th of April both the Advocacy and the Safety and Security working groups convened. The Safety and Security meeting took place at Mercy Corps’ office in Baghdad. Eight NGOs attended the meeting, which started with a breakdown of recent security developments in the different central and southern governorates of Iraq. The participants where then briefed on access constraints. The meeting concluded with a discussion on expected future security issues. The Advocacy Working…

The coordination of collective NGO action in Iraq is one of the core tasks of the NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI). A part of these coordination efforts are the monthly coordination meetings that NCCI organizes in its offices in Baghdad and Erbil. On 30 March NCCI organized a general coordination meeting in its office in Erbil. The meeting was attended by representatives of 16 NGOs, Radio Al-Salam and the KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC). The meeting started with the JCC briefly introducing its work, after which attendants inquired about the possible role of the JCC as a bridge between the Kurdish authorities and the humanitarian sector. The next subject on the agenda was a follow up on the…

One of the strategic objectives of the NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) is providing capacity building to NGOs operating in Iraq. An important part of this objective is realized by organizing workshops for local NGOs to improve both their effectiveness in the field and increase their participation in the humanitarian aid structure in Iraq. Between 22 and 24 March, NCCI conducted a workshop in cooperation with UNHCR to improve the effectiveness of local NGOs operating in the governorate of Baghdad. Representatives from ten local NGOs took part in this three-day training, which was supported by staff from both NCCI and UNHCR. The workshop focused on three main themes: protection, field tasks and program tasks. Among the subjects of the…

The facilitation of coordination and information sharing among humanitarian actors operating in Iraq is one of the key objectives of the NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI). Under this objective, NCCI facilitates different Cluster meetings. In Baghdad, it is difficult for NGOs, and especially for Iraqi organizations, to gain access to the UN offices, which are located in the heavily protected International Zone. In Erbil, entering the UN compound can be very time-consuming. In order to guarantee maximum participation of NGOs in the Cluster system, NCCI therefore regularly hosts Cluster meetings at its offices in both Baghdad and Erbil. Every two weeks the Logistics Cluster for example holds its meetings in the NCCI office in Erbil. On 18 March, NCCI…