Humanitarian Assistance: Meeting the Needs of the Iraqi People

The U.S., in coordination with nearly 50 coalition partners, as well as international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq—to save lives, alleviate suffering, and mitigate the impact of emergency situations and years of abuse under Saddam’s regime.

Areas of Focus

• Health and medicines
• Water and sanitation
• Food and nutrition
• Emergency shelter
• Protection against reprisals and human rights monitoring
• Humanitarian infrastructure

President Bush has requested $2.4 billion to create a new, flexible account focused on relief and reconstruction for the people of Iraq. These funds will provide food, water, and medicine. They also will be used to repair long neglected or damaged infrastructure, restore important government services, and keep schools open. Total resources assigned to Iraq relief and reconstruction, including Department of Defense funding, will be approximately $3.5 billion.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has deployed a 62-person interagency civilian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), the largest of its kind ever. It is evaluating humanitarian needs, exchanging information and facilitating funding and delivery of humanitarian assistance by NGOs, UN agencies and the military. Its members are experts in health, food, water and shelter, logistics, transportation and procurement.

For the past several months, the U.S. has pre-positioned stockpiles of emergency supplies and commodities including food, medicines, health and hygiene kits, blankets, plastic sheeting for emergency shelter, and water containers and tanks. Preliminary supplies have been distributed and many more of these supplies will soon be reaching the Iraqi people.

The U.S., in coordination with nearly 50 coalition partners, as well as international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq—to save lives, alleviate suffering, and mitigate the impact of emergency situations and years of abuse under Saddam’s regime.

"We go into Iraq to disarm the country. We will also go in to make sure that those who are hungry are fed, those who need health care will have health care, those youngsters who need education will get education."

• Approximately $543 million for humanitarian relief
  
  
• To date, over $124 million has been directed to the UN
  and international organizations

• Already, enough food has been shipped from the U.S.to feed 4.5 million Iraqis for one month
  
  
• 3 million daily rations are also available, the largest
  number ever deployed