Insufficient funding has constrained the work of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations engaged in humanitarian efforts in Iraq, with several U.N. agencies forced to halt the distribution of food aid to thousands of children and women in the country.
The midyear review of the 2010 Iraq Humanitarian Action Plan showed that only 31 percent or USD58 million of the USD187.72 million appeal has been funded as of July 8. The report further showed that only 12 percent of the received funds were new donor contributions.
“The apparent lack of donor support for the humanitarian and early recovery interventions in Iraq places immense pressure on agency operations during the transition towards the cycle of the U.N. Development Assistance Framework for 2011 to 2014,” according to the report prepared by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The report added that several initiatives outlined in the humanitarian action plan have not begun because of funding lack. These include projects in the education, shelter and food sectors.
