The World Bank and World Food launch a joint program to aid Iraq

by **claud39** Tue Feb 09, 2021 10:16 am

The World Bank and World Food launch a joint program to aid Iraq

02/09/2021

Economy News _ Baghdad

On Tuesday, the World Food Program and the World Bank announced their cooperation in a joint program in Iraq to conduct social and economic research and monitor the causes of food insecurity and the effects of the Corona pandemic.

The two organizations said in a joint statement received by "Al-Iqtisad News" that they launched a joint program in Iraq to conduct social and economic research and monitor the causes of food insecurity and the effects of the Corona pandemic, stressing that this cooperation will provide better information for social protection programs and improve response to urgent relief operations.

They explained that in light of the Corona pandemic, the joint cooperation program aims to monitor the effects on Iraqi families, including the families of the displaced who live in the camps and return to their homes, as well as the host communities.

According to the joint statement of the two organizations, surveys and analyzes are conducted using the World Food Program (WFP) system to analyze vulnerabilities and map its features via mVAM mobile phone to find out what is behind food insecurity and regularly collect vital information on the labor market, access health services and education for children, and provide updated profiles The socio-economic situation of individuals on the ground during the pandemic.

The representative of the World Bank in Iraq, Ramzi Numan, says: “The multi-faceted Iraq crisis has severely affected the livelihoods of the Iraqi people,” indicating that “the continuation of this study will provide a better understanding of the social and economic impacts of the crisis on the living conditions of families, and thus provide better information for social protection programs. Which aims to provide urgent relief to the most vulnerable and needy groups.

The joint statement stated that "with the continuing economic pressures and the resulting devaluation of the Iraqi currency, the prices of some basic foodstuffs increased, and families were greatly affected."

"The research is being used for multiple purposes, providing the government and the humanitarian and development communities with information to allow evidence-based decisions to be made about their response to the pandemic and to support the most vulnerable and needy families," he noted.

He indicated that, once the analysis is completed, the data and results will also form the basis for writing major bulletins and reports, such as the ongoing series issued by the World Food Program and the World Bank in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

For his part, the representative of the World Food Program in Iraq, Abdul Rahman Megaj, said, "This important research partnership supports the provision of basic information to help the main actors in Iraq plan and make decisions on an informed basis.

"Knowing more means being able to do more and get it right. Our work with needy and vulnerable families can help in the most effective way," he added.

The World Food Program and the World Bank continue to work with the government on social protection efforts, as well as designing major reforms in this sector, to best meet the needs of families now and in the long term.

https://economy-news.net/content.php?id=24015