Iraq

The multi-ethnic state of Iraq

The name Mesopotamia means “the land between two rivers” – specifically, the Tigris and Euphrates. Today, it forms the heartland of Iraq. Mesopotamia is considered the cradle of civilisation, but has also always been a frontier territory in which countless battles have been fought. The areas from which Iraq was created in 1921 were populated by around three million inhabitants at the time. That figure now stands at 38 million. However, the composition of the population has changed little: 60% Shiite, 20% Sunni Arab in the North West, 20% Kurdish in the North, in addition to a variety of other ethnic minorities.

With regard to the situation today, the fall of Saddam in 2003 was followed by an occupation period with warlike conditions through to 2011, which fostered the rise of Islamic State. IS has been defeated militarily and sustainable stabilisation is now the greatest challenge in a country that is politically, religiously and territorially divided.

Since 2014, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been providing support in the form of humanitarian assistance and investments. After all, the effects of Islamic State’s atrocities will persist for a long time to come. Millions of people have had to flee, with most moving elsewhere in the country. Upon their return, they are often confronted with nothing more than ruins. A basic supply of water, power, accommodation, medical services, education and employment is necessary for people to move back to their communities.

KfW Development Bank initially committed itself to stabilisation programmes (from 2014 onwards), working together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The work in partnership with local bodies involves rehabilitating roads, schools, health stations, and residential and administrative buildings, in addition to securing the water and power supply. A total of 3,800 households are benefiting from jobs created during the course of these measures.

There are 3.5 million children unable to go to school, according to current estimates. As part of cooperative efforts with UNICEF, schools are being built, children are attending psychosocial support facilities, and teachers are undergoing continuing education and training.

Project Information - UNICEF Iraq

On behalf of the Federal Foreign Office, KfW is awarding an untied financial loan of up to EUR 500 million to the Iraqi government. The funding was committed by Chancellor Angela Merkel to the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the year 2016. It is used for the reconstruction of infrastructure in areas formerly occupied by the Islamic State. At its peak more than 3 million persons were internally displaced due to IS presence in the country. The main aim of the programme is to provide an incentive for IDPs to return to their homes and thus contribute to long-term stabilization of the country.

KfW is supporting its Iraqi partners in restoring basic infrastructure in the areas of electricity supply, water and sewerage as well as roads and bridges. Destroyed substations in the cities of Ramadi and Tikrit, for example, are being rebuilt to secure power distribution in the province of Al-Anbar. Two bridges in Iraq’s second biggest city Mosul are also reconstructed to allow its almost 3 million inhabitants to move around freely. All project measures are planned and implemented in close cooperation with the Iraqi Ministries.

Project Information - Stabilization, Reconstruction and Employment – Iraq

Project information - Loan to Support Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq (UFK)

”Shlonak Habibi“

Three KfW employees are travelling to Baghdad to clarify the details of investment packages to rebuild ruined public infrastructure. Not an easy assignment given that efficient structures are lacking, so necessary decisions are often delayed for months and international payment transactions are often blocked. But the biggest problem is the deteriorating security situation.