Iraq: UN food programme gears up for restarting distribution system

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), together with the Iraqi Ministry of Trade and the United States-run Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, is finalizing the reactivation of the public distribution system that provides services to 27 million Iraqis, the agency said today.

Thousands of food agents are slated to resume operations on 1 June, the day food warehouses open for business. WFP said it was hoped some of these agents would manage to start distributing food to people the same day, but the monthly distribution cycle could take a couple of weeks to end.

Since early April, WFP has brought about 400,000 tons of food to Iraq to replenish the food distribution system. WFP previously operated food distribution through agents of the former regime under the UN Oil-for-Food Programme, which allowed then sanctions-bound Iraq to use oil revenues to buy humanitarian supplies.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is focusing its attention on Baghdad’s water supply. A UNICEF-supported assessment shows that 50 per cent of the water in the system is lost due to broken or damaged pipes. UNICEF is working with a local contractor to repair these breaks. The agency is also currently distributing 800-thousand litres of fresh water to areas within the city that need it the most.