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1 June 2020 - The World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq is urging Iraqis to follow the instructions of the health authorities to contain the spread of COVID-19 after a rise in infections, stressing that the re-introduction of a complete lockdown in Iraq was a necessary measure in the fight against the virus.

WHO Representative in Iraq Dr. Adham R. Ismail reaffirms WHOs continued support for and cooperation with the health authorities in Baghdad and in the Kurdistan Region to ensure the success of the measures to combat COVID-19. Dr. Ismail calls upon Iraqis across the country to commit to the highest levels of preventive measures and adhere to the lockdown to help the health authorities contain the spread of the virus. He also calls upon the authorities to strictly apply the lockdown measures coupled with intense testing of suspected cases through contact tracing and active surveillance. These measures can only achieve the desired results with the collaboration of all.

As of 31 May 2020, Iraq reported 6,439 cases, reflecting an increase in the average daily reports which is due to intensive active surveillance activities conducted by the health authorities to detect COVID-19 cases and ensure the citizens are following the necessary preventive measures and social distancing.

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For more information, please contact:

Baraa Shabaa WHO Communications Officer shabab@who.int +964 7800010244

Ajyal Sultany WHO Communications Officer sultanya@who.int +9647740892878

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WHO: Iraq lockdown decision necessary after rise in COVID-19 infections, stresses collaboration of all in the fight against the virus [EN/AR] - Iraq -...

Turkey will open its Grbulak border gate with Iran and the Habur border gate with Iraq this week in order to help boost trade as coronavirus containment measures are eased, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said on Wednesday.

In an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber, Pekcan said the worst was over as she recalled the foreign trade data that was released on Tuesday.

The country's exports rose 10.8% month-on-month in May, while they plunged nearly 41% year-on-year under the impact of the measures implemented to stem the spread of the pandemic.

In May, exports slid 40.8% year-on-year to $9.43 billion and imports fell 28.2% to $12.79 billion, according to the special trade system, trade ministry data showed. Special trade system data excludes imports to customs warehouses.

Turkey's trade deficit for May widened by 78.7% year-on-year to $3.36 billion.

From the very beginning of the emergence of coronavirus cases in Turkey, Ankara moved to contain the spread of the virus and announced several measures, including immediate closing of its borders with virus-hit Iran. Trade through the Iraqi-Turkish border via trucks was also halted for a limited time. However, it was later resumed via a buffer zone established for truck drivers to send goods without entering each country.

Pekcan said the recovery period in exports would continue with gradual normalization in Turkey and the country's main export markets.

She said a major recovery is expected as of June, adding that a recovery process has been initiated in Europe, the country's top export market, as of May.

Pekcan added, a customs union agreement with the European Union must also be updated soon in order to help improve trade between the two sides.

Turkey has long pressed the EU to update the customs union, arguing that doing so would benefit both sides.

The minister also said trade with local currency would now come to the fore in the world, adding that Turkey particularly determined countries with whom it has trade deficits and held discussions on the issues and met with businesspeople.

Turkey is in talks with several countries over possible swap agreements and is working on increasing the volume of its currency swap agreement with China, Pekcan said.

She said Ankara is also conducting talks with South Korea, India, Japan and Malaysia on conducting trade in local currencies.

Officials have recently said Ankara had sought to expand a swap facility with China and set up swap lines with Japan and the United Kingdom.

On May 20, Turkey tripled its existing currency swap agreement with Qatar to $15 billion equivalent from $5 billion. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) said the deal with its Qatari counterpart aimed to facilitate bilateral trade in local currencies and support the financial stability of the two countries. Under the facility, swaps are conducted in Turkish lira and Qatari riyal.

The first deal worth $3 billion was signed in August 2018 and then raised to $5 billion in November 2019.

Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak has also said recently the country is in talks with several countries over possible swap agreements, saying the initiative was part of Ankaras campaign to prioritize trading in local currencies.

Link:
Turkey to open Iran, Iraq border gates this week to boost trade | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Jun 4, 2020

Iraqs armed forces began a major operation called "Heroes of Iraq - Victory of Sovereignty" to clear remnants of the Islamic Statein the northern province of Kirkuk at dawn Tuesday. The operation comes ahead of key talks with the United States later this month.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited the operation in its early hours and social media was later flooded with photos of him walking alongside the forces and members of a local family. He then discussed the operation during a regularly scheduled cabinet meeting in the capital.

Kadhimi was sworn in on May 6 after several months of a government void.

Attacks and intimidation continue in the southern areas ofKirkuk province against locals and the various forces deployed there, as well as in neighboring Diyala and Salahuddin. However, the strategic location and disputed status of Kirkuk render it of particular importance.

The operation aims to clear both the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the central government in Baghdad but back under Baghdad control since late 2017, and Salahuddin.

Weapons caches, hideouts, IEDs and other supplies were found and at least two terrorists were killed during the operation on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

US-led international coalition spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III noted in a voice message to Al-Monitor Wednesday that the Iraqi security forces are focusing significant energy on defeating the remnants of IS south of Kirkuk and along the Hamrin-Makhmour mountains, Nineveh plains and some areas in Anbar.

The coalition continues to support with high level advising, he continued. There were military officers who participated in the planning process. We shared intelligence and, in the first day of the operation we conducted three airstrikes in support of the Iraqi security forces on the ground. This area has had a presence of [IS]holdouts because of the terrain. The terrain, the topography is difficult to access. There are mountain and cave complexes and because the people of Iraq reject IS, he said, the international terrorist organization has been forced into mountains and desert areas, where they are traveling on motorbikes into villages to commit crimes to raise money or to commit acts of terror or attacks on security forces.

Caggins stressed that the Heroes of Iraq campaign is going to happen in multiple stages throughout 2020 and brings together multiple Defense and Interior Ministryforces as well as both Sunni and ShiitePopular Mobilization Units (PMU).

Bringing togetherthe Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry and PMU in a manner vaguely reminiscent though on a much lower scale as was seen during the war against IS between 2014 and 2017, the operation may also be intended to boost morale, provide a show of strength and foster a sense of unity.

In a press conference posted on YouTube late in the day on Tuesday, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the armed forces Brig.Gen.Yahia Rasouldetailed the operation.

The "Victory of Sovereignty" name may bea rebuttal of the oft-heard accusations that Iraq is under undue influence or the control of the United States or Iran.

Since previous Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared victory against ISon Dec.9, 2017, Iraq has struggled to deal with reconstruction efforts and returning internally displaced citizensto their home regions, non-state actors, economic woes, regional tensions and IS remnants. Both the United States and Iran have provided support in various ways and maintain geopolitical interest in the country.

Protests over unemployment and lack of public services in Iraqs oil capitalof Basra in 2018 were followed by massive demonstrationsacross the central and southern parts of the country starting in October 2019 that brought down the government months later.

The protests were still limping on and occasionally flaring up in some squares across the country as of early June, even after the new government was sworn in. Many protesters claim that Iran-backed armed groups were behind the deaths of many of the hundreds who lost their lives. Chants and placards held aloft during the early months railed against both USand Iranian influence, with we want a homeland a popular rallying call.

Meanwhile, IS sleeper cells have long taken advantage of security gaps between KRG and central government territoriesas well as persisting grievances among some parts of the population.

The last IS-held town to be retaken in Iraq was Rawa in western Anbar in 2017, but Hawija and nearby villages in Kirkuk province had been left until after the months-long battle to regain Mosul.

This reporter accompanied the PMU Liwa Ali al-Akbar during the October 2017 operation to clear Hawija. The battle was unexpectedly easy compared to the tough fights for the various districts of Mosul and other areas of the country during which she had also accompanied Iraqi forces.

Many claimed at that time that the IS fighters who had withstood such a long siege simply vanished, while others posited they had shaved their beardsand fled to the KRG or to the nearby Hamrin mountains, which acts as a separating line between the western part of the Kirkuk region and northeastern Salahuddin.

The Hamrin mountain chain stretches from this point to near the Iranian border inDiyala province which has for months seen the highest number of attacks and has long been what some Iraqi Kurds consider what they would like as theborder of a future independent state.

Several weapons caches were found and two soldiers were injured by IS shooting fromtunnels during a December2017operation into the Hamrin mountains this reporter accompanied local forces on a few weeks after the national declaration of victory against the international terrorist organization.

The Heroes of Victory operation that began on Tuesday is also referred to as "Heroes of Victory Two,"as it was preceded by another one with thesame name that started on Feb.12 and focused on Iraqs westernmost region of Anbar to the Syrian border.

The currentone aims to clear an area that maycontinue to be problematic until several thorny issues are worked out between theKRG and Baghdad. Nevertheless, it serves to show Iraqs continued commitment to fighting IS amid a multitude of challenges facing the new government.

More:
Iraqi forces team up for anti-IS operation in Kirkuk - Al-Monitor

The Iraqi government asked Parliament on Wednesday for authorisation to borrow from international markets and plug what is expected to be a steep budget deficit this year.

Iraq has occasionally resorted to international markets for borrowing since the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Official media said the legislature on Wednesday heard the first draft of a law to allow the Finance Minister, Ali Allawi, to borrow from international financial institutions and foreign banks to finance public expenditures.

A copy of the proposed law said the government was facing difficulty in financing its expenses because of budgetary delays, the coronavirus and a sharp drop in oil prices.

Parliament ordered the government to present the 2020 budget by the end of this month.

Sarkawt Shams, a member of the the Kurdish bloc in Parliament, told The National that the new legislation lacked any curbs that could help to contain Iraq's runaway spending, and gave Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi wide discretion.

"It is really not a bill but just a couple of lines to allow Kadhimi to freely get loans from whoever he wants," Mr Shams said.

He said he feared that the new borrowing would continue to be spent on salaries, not on investment Iraq badly needs.

Repeated delays in replacing prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi since street protests forced him to resign in November last year contributed to postponements in passing the 2020 budget.

The authorities, supported by pro-Iranian militias, cracked down on the uprising, killing unarmed demonstrators and committing other violent acts.

A report released by the World Bank in spring said that if oil prices stabilised in the low $30s a barrel, the Iraqi government would need to raise $67 billion (Dh246.09bn) in financing in 2020, equal to 39 per cent of gross domestic product, to cover spending.

The oil price is hovering in the high $30s, having recovered some of its record losses this year.

Iraqi Parliament figures in April showed that a draft $135bn budget for 2020 by the Abdul Mahdi government was calculated based on a projected oil price of $56 a barrel.

They said the budget deficit, forecast at $40bn, could more than double to $85bn this year.

Mr Al Kadhimi said he found state coffers were empty when Parliament approved him as prime minister on May 5.

A former intelligence chief who is supported by Washington, he this week ordered pay cuts for the Cabinet and general managers in the bureaucracy, as well as Parliament and the presidency.

The country is one of the top five members of Opec, with oil exports providing at least 90 per cent of government revenue.

Most public spending goes on salaries to seven million public employees.

Mr Al Kadhimi said he also ordered the elimination of dual salaries and what he called wages to fraudulent names on the government payroll.

Solutions to the financial crisis will not be at the expense of limited-income employees, retirees and those who deserve to be on social welfare, he said.

Updated: June 4, 2020 12:19 PM

Excerpt from:
Iraq looks to international markets to help finance government - The National

Baghdad, Iraq, 31 May 2020 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has fought the pandemic with every tool at its disposal to save lives and support countries with limited COVID-19 response capacity, including Iraq.

WHO and Iraqi health authorities proactively coordinated a comprehensive response to the pandemic as early as January 2020. WHO Iraq scaled up the countrys readiness and response operations mechanism, as well as its pandemic preparedness plan of action.

The Government of Iraq, with the full support of WHO, mobilized resources at an early stage of the pandemic to contain its transmission, said Dr Adham R. Ismail, WHO Representative in Iraq. National, regional and local authorities implemented strong measures to reduce the number of cases and suppress the rapid spread of the virus.

Before Iraqs first COVID-19 case was reported on 24 February 2020, WHO coordinated with several important actions taken by the Ministry of Health at both central and regional level. These early actions included enhancing coordination and planning among all stakeholders and partners at national and international levels, communicating with communities about the risks and how people could protect themselves, and ensuring capacity was in place to find, isolate, test, trace every contact, and treat every case.

On 9 March, a joint technical team from the WHO Regional Office and WHO headquarters arrived in Iraq to assess the capacity of the Iraqi Ministry of Health and health facilities on disease detection and case management. The team provided guidance to address gaps and improve the health measures taken by the government. Designated hospitals were prepared to respond to a potential spike in cases, and health workers were trained on infection prevention and case management.

WHO support to the national health authorities also included active surveillance, situation assessment and analysis, and awareness-raising sessions targeting first-line staff at border points and airports. 1800 Ministry of Health mobile teams carried out social mobilization campaigns and distributed WHO awareness material all over Iraq.

Rapid response teams were mobilized to carry out country-wide awareness raising, contact tracing, and testing activities, including disseminating infection prevention and control messages and guidelines.

Case management and continuity of essential services, in addition to logistics, procurement and supply management were among the priority actions.

The provision of laboratory services was also a focus. Direct cooperation between WHO and the COVID-19 Crisis Cell of Basra University succeeded in April 2020 in producing urgently-needed laboratory supplies to speed up the testing of suspected cases. This significant achievement was later replicated by other countries in the Region.

WHO lead a series of activities encouraging adherence to the lockdown and avoidance of mass gatherings that could lead to an increase in the numbers of cases. In March, the WHO Representative visited the religious Supreme Seminary in Najaf and recommended the postponement of religious gatherings. WHO commends the stance of the Supreme Seminary in support of WHO and Ministry of Health recommendations and commends its positive response in encouraging the people of Iraq people to follow health preventive measures and recommendations, said Dr Ismail.

See more here:
Early COVID-19 preparation saved lives in Iraq - Iraq - ReliefWeb