Economic Governance
USAID works with Iraqi institutions to establish the enabling environment for sustainable economic growth. Assistance empowers policy makers to formulate and execute decisions based on economic data, and to implement modern best practices in economic governance. USAID projects provide a framework for private sector trade, commerce, and investment throughout Iraq.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
Fifteen Iraqi businesswomen learned to create business plans for entrepreneurial ventures in a recent USAID training held in central Iraq. The women, all members of businesswomen's associations, are seeking to expand their existing firms or turn their entrepreneurial ideas into profit-making ventures. Where others see problems, they see opportunities to develop new businesses in areas like architectural design, construction, computer services and publishing. Following the training sessions, each entrepreneur will write a business plan for her idea and present it to be critiqued by the group and the trainers. Those with the most promising plans will seek microfinance loans that can assist them to achieve their goals and help create more long-term private sector jobs in Iraq.
Six representatives from three Iraqi-based non-profit organizations attended a Microfinance Practitioner Training in the United States with support from USAID. The training was held at Southern New Hampshire University's Micro-enterprise and Development Institute and was designed to help the representatives move their organizations toward sustainability by improving their abilities to evaluate and manage small business loans for creditworthy enterprises. It also will help raise their management capabilities to international "best practices" standards. By enhancing their skills through training, these representatives will be better able to professionally manage the non-bank microfinance institutions that will provide working capital loans to small businesses and farmers. By the end of this year, representatives from these three organizations will have extended credit totaling $26 million (monitored by the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office) to rural Iraqis.
Agriculture
USAID's goals are to work in conjunction with Iraqi ministries, the private sector, and higher education institutions to revitalize agricultural production, stimulate income and employment generation, nurture rural initiatives, and rehabilitate the natural resource base.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
Tomato farmers are harvesting higher yields thanks to improved technologies learned under the Open Field Tomato Demonstration initiative of USAID's Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) program. For the demonstrations, ARDI established plots in Baghdad, Diyala and Babylon governorates on which they introduced drip irrigation, black plastic mulch, and fertilization. With the Ministry of Agriculture, USAID representatives monitored the plots and helped participating farmers control tomato pests. Nearly 300 area farmers attended field days where they observed the difference between plots planted with new technologies and those planted with traditional practices. The increased yields are expected to result in higher cash returns for farmers.
A new sustainable fodder project in Wasit governorate will help livestock breeders improve the health and productivity of their sheep flocks. The project, which is sponsored by the ARDI program, focuses on farmers who tend flocks of 30 to 150 head of sheep, providing them with fodder for temporary relief and training in fodder production. A pasture development demonstration program will exhibit the production of crops that provide good nutrition for sheep. Farmers will attend four field days to observe demonstration crops and evaluate the benefits of planting forage crops. The project will increase the local production of fodder and pasture for sheep flocks, which will improve the production of milk, meat and lambs, and increase breeders' income. This improved nutrition will increase the rate of successful pregnancies and births of healthy lambs, and the viability of the sheep breeding industry.
An ARDI program to improve buffalo calving rates through hormone treatments is showing positive results. The program is being implemented in Baghdad, Muthanna and Dhi Qar governorates where buffalo sometimes do not enter estrus during the hot season because of climactic stress, and may not successfully mate or produce milk. Through the program, 132 buffalo in Baghdad Governorate have received injections of an estrus-inducing hormone and a concentrated protein diet. Buffalo selected to participate in the demonstration program in Muthanna and Thi-Qar Governorates will begin receiving hormone treatments and concentrate feed diets soon.
Of the 132 buffalo already treated, most have entered estrus, and many have mated. ARDI staff expect to see an increase in the number of calves born as a result of the hormone injections, as well as increased milk production from the treated buffalo. The improved calving rates will increase Iraq's national buffalo herd, which currently numbers approximately 500,000. The breeders will immediately benefit from the increased production of milk, as the sale of buffalo milk is the main source of income for many buffalo breeders.
National Governance
In the post-election period, USAID will continue to plan and implement a variety of programs, undertaken in full partnership with Iraqi counterparts, matching the needs of the evolving Iraqi democracy. In particular, USAID is accelerating support to the Iraq National Assembly and the Constitutional Drafting Committee.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
Over the past month, USAID arranged for 18 experts to provide assistance to the Iraqi National Assembly's (INA) Constitutional Committee resulting in the production of 72 topical papers in Arabic on issues including federalism, natural resource allocation, human rights and electoral systems. Papers will be made available to all members of the committee. Experts provided support for various drafts of the constitution and met frequently with senior INA members, including the committee chair and two deputy chairs.
The final constitutional dialogues were conducted last week, reaching over 79,000 Iraqis in over 3,100 meetings. Final results are expected in the coming days, as the input from the field is still coming in and the last few hundred questionnaires are being entered in the data base.
Last week, the five regional NGOs coordinating the dialogues conducted an early assessment of the program to review the performance of each contracted NGO. The assessment took into account the number of individuals reached, questionnaires collected, sessions conducted and the environment in which NGOs had to operate. USAID will offer additional training to NGOs as needed. During the assessment, the NGOs agreed on common observations including:
- Lack of public awareness of the political process especially in the rural areas of the south and south center of Iraq
- General political apathy among the youth especially in rural areas
-Security and instability of western areas of Iraq
- Lack of experience and skills among NGO members
- Limited time and budget
The early assessment will improve the quality of the next phase of constitutional dialogues, which will focus on educating the public on the content of the constitution prior to the referendum.
USAID representatives organized a workshop to address the advantages and disadvantages of various electoral systems. Participants expressed concern that the current system (national, proportional representation) presented many disadvantages, including that it did not allow for the building of constituencies and local accountability. On the other hand, a governorate-based system would disadvantage smaller parties, minorities, and women legislators. Following the workshop, USAID was requested to conduct a series of consultation meetings, offering further advisory support on various forms of electoral systems to several key INA members including:
- The chair of the INA's Legal Committee to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of governorate-based parliamentary elections.
- An INA Legal Committee member to discuss electoral systems and the need to reform Iraqi electoral laws.
- An INA Foreign Relations Committee member to discuss electoral systems with a focus on minorities and the impact of the current security situation.
- The First Deputy Speaker to the INA to discuss the constitutional process, federalism, distribution of oil revenues and the oversight powers of the legislative body as stated in the latest draft of the constitution.
Local Governace
USAID's Local Governance Program (LGP) goals include promoting representative citizen participation in governance; strengthening the management skills of city and provincial administrations and civic institutions; promoting advocacy and participation of civil society organizations; enhancing leadership skills; and serving as a recruiting tool for future leaders.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
USAID's Local Governance Program (LGP) is promoting the organization of Local Government Associations (LGAs) throughout Iraq. The LGAs will act as lobbying and advocacy organizations to represent the interests of the local government without having any authority to direct their operations. Recent activities included:
- A training session on the role of LGAs for 23 new members of an LGA in Babil Governorate. LGA members met with the local INA office to explain the role of LGAs and to present a list of issues related to local government.
- In Karbala Governorate, LGP and LGA members met to map out forthcoming activities and to plan a conference on the impending Constitution to raise public awareness. On July 17 LGA members and the LGP met with the Provincial Council (PC) to provide an update on activities and to offer assistance. The LGA suggested providing education and advocacy to the general public on the legal responsibilities of the PC.
- The LGP presented training sessions on "Understanding Public Services" for 36 LGA members-24 men and 12 women.
- An LGP representative met the chair of the Afaq sub-district local council in Qadisiyah Governorate to explain the role of LGAs. The chair was given materials to share with other members on the council and to solicit council agreements to join the provincial LGA.
LGP Arbil staff presented a three-day workshop entitled "Provincial Council Strategic Planning" to 28 Arbil PC members; six women and 22 men. The workshop focused on topics such as PC duties and responsibilities, projective analyses and development. At the end of the session, LGP staff distributed a questionnaire to be filled in by PC members made up of 10 questions on PC values, mission, vision, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and expectations toward meeting public demand and needs. Once the data is collected, LGP staff will help develop a draft for the Council. The draft is expected to be ready by the end of August.
Community Action Program
The Community Action Program works in rural and urban communities to promote democracy and prevent and mitigate conflict. Working directly through partner NGOs and in consultation with local government representatives, USAID is creating representative participatory community groups to identify critical priorities and implement programs to address those needs.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
USAID's Community Action Program (CAP) helped a community in Maysan Governorate rehabiliate its sports stadium. The 15,000 person stadium was built in 1959 and regularly hosted soccer and track and field competitions. However, during the war between Iraq and Iran, the stadium was used as an Army arsenal and was severely damaged during a bombardment, resulting in the closing of the facilities. CAP contracted the rehabilitation and the community association organized sports tournaments among the surrounding schools as part of its contribution towards this project. The stadium was handed over to the Directorate of Youth and Sports in May at an opening ceremony that drew many spectators and participants. The project is expected to benefit over 2,000 people.
A Baghdad area kindergarten was rebuilt with CAP assistance. The kindergarten was in a state of complete disrepair, making it almost impossible for teachers to gauge the educational and emotional development needs of the children. Classrooms were dark and damp and all furniture was broken. Parent and community association members in the area stressed to USAID the need to improve the facilities. The project was completed on May 4 and included the complete rehabilitation of the premises. The classrooms are now well lit, clean, and equipped with modern equipment. This project will benefit 204 pre-school children.
CAP helped a community in At Tamim governorate pave its sidewalks around the town center. Most of the roads are not paved in this town in the southwest of the governorate causing flooding and muddy conditions. With paved sidewalks, people can move freely in their town and a heavy rainfall will not cause a local catastrophe.
Education
USAID's goals are to increase enrollment, improve primary and secondary education, ensure classrooms have sufficient supplies, facilitate community involvement, train teachers, implement accelerated learning programs, and establish partnerships between U.S. and Iraqi colleges and universities.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
A fifth Iraqi archaeology student has arrived at the State University of New York's Stony Brook (SUNY/SB) campus. His English skills are in need of significant improvement but should improve during English training in the summer and fall semesters to be able to progress into the M.A. program in Archaeology in the Spring 2006 semester. With the assistance of USAID's Higher Education and Development (HEAD) program, four Iraqi students have already completed a year of study at SUNY/SB including a full semester of work in the graduate archaeology department. All four students are currently conducting summer fieldwork at Native American archaeology digs.
On July 2, the International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) at DePaul University's College of Law and the School of Law at a northern Iraqi university hosted the opening of newly renovated law library facilities. During the Ba'athist Party era, there was little government funding for this library, resulting in limitations on legal information and professional development. Despite challenges of doing reconstruction work in Iraq, IHRLI renovated the library, giving it a complete electrical infrastructure upgrade, new furniture and library shelving, Internet access, print and electronic resources, a cataloging system and a basic collection of legal books. The work was conducted under USAID's HEAD program.
A soil sciences laboratory has been set up at a central Iraqi university with the assistance of the HEAD program's Al Sharaka partnership, a cooperative effort between five Iraqi Universities and a consortium of American universities led by the University of Oklahoma. The partners are working to strengthen Iraqi university learning environments and administration. Geographic Information Systems and cellular biology laboratories have already been established by the partnership at Iraqi universities. By helping Iraqi universities equip laboratories, USAID is improving the quality of education in critical areas including science, engineering and medicine.
Three boxes of learning materials arrived recently for distribution at two Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry at northern Iraqi universities. The learning materials include books on agriculture, a CD set on environmental quality development, a biotechnology resource kit and other research tools. The materials were provided by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii as part of the HEAD program.
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