The violence in Iraq's western province of Anbar has displacedmore than 340,000individuals since late December; mostly women, children and elderly people. The Danish Refugee Council calls for humanitarian support from the international community and urges conflict parties to ensure the safe passage of staff and emergency relief to meet increasing needs of vulnerable populations. The erupting violence has caused the displacement of some 250,000 individualswithin Anbar now residing in villages, school buildings and unfinished housing projects. Other displaced populations have fled to the surrounding governorates including Baghdad, Kerbala, Erbil, Najaf, and Salahadin. Many civilians who could not flee remain trapped in their homes and the conflict areas of Anbar. Over-crowdedness inshelters and communities hosting displaced people is causing problems of…

In collaboration and partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, The World Health Organization for Iraq organized a workshop on the medium-term budgeting framework (MTBF) in Amman, Jordan from 5-7 march 2014. The workshop was attended by senior finance and management personnel from the Ministries of Health, Finance, & Planning from both Central and Kurdistan Governments. "The continued collaboration between the Ministry of Health and WHO aims at strengthening the health systems and improve the quality of and access to health care services in Iraq," said WHO representative Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain who attended the opening ceremony. He further stressed the importance of implementing a muti-year budget process focused on achieving goals of the MOH. Dr. Isam Namiq Senior Deputy…

Geneva/Baghdad (ICRC) – Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), arrived in Iraq today on his first official visit. Over the next four days in Baghdad, Najaf and Erbil he will meet senior Iraqi officials, religious leaders and the leadership of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and other humanitarian organizations to discuss growing humanitarian needs resulting from the escalation of violence in parts of the country.Mr Maurer will also meet displaced Iraqis and see, first hand, projects aiming to help people in the violence-prone area of North Babel earn a living and improve their access to water."Ordinary Iraqis, particularly in remote areas of the country, are having to cope both with the consequences of…

Nature Iraq’s Waterkeepers Iraq Program is more than a month into its 60-day crowd-funding campaign to support the Rawanduz River Expedition, its new initiative to protect rivers in Iraq. We’ve raised 3950 USD of our 10,000 USD goal and have just 22 days to go. Along with our partners in the project (Nature Iraq Foundation, American Canoe Association and Majestic Heights Outdoor Adventures, a Kurdistan Iraq-based eco-tourism company), we hope you can lend us your support for this project that will raise awareness and change attitudes toward Iraq’s threatened rivers.

UPP works in Erbil and Dohuk Syrian refugee camps as an implementing partner of UNHCR. Funded by UNHCR, UPP provides psychosocial service with the help of social workers, psychologist, child psychologists and psychiatrists in Darashakran and Kawargosk camps since 2013. In February 2014 UPP launched its psychosocial project also in Basirma and Qushtapa camps. In Dohuk camps UPP provides psychosocial support and Mass Information since 2012, covering not only all the camps but also the border crossing point.

UPP started a long-lasting, fruitful cooperation with the Iraqi National Libraries and Archives (INLA) in Baghdad since 2004. Several cooperation projects have been implemented since then, with the aim of strengthening the skills of INLA staff in technical fields such as book preservation, conservation and digitization. Similar projects run by UPP have been involving religious entities in both Baghdad and KRG, with the aim of safeguarding the historical written heritage of several communities like Armenian, Baha'i, Chaldean, Sabean-Mandean, Shabak, Syriac, Turkmen and Yazidi. Next projects will be focusing on strengthening the role of youth amongst some of the same communities. At present, UPP is implementing a cultural project funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Municipality…