Jubilee Iraq condemns $860m payment from Iraq Humanitarian Fund whilst UN pleads for $325m for emergency humanitarian needs.

The World Food Programme announced ‘a massive shortfall’ in their request for $325 million in emergency humanitarian funds to meet the urgent needs of the Iraqi people. The next day $860 million was paid out from the newly mandated Oil-for-Food programme by the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) to cover 1990 reparation claims

Over 60% of the Iraqi population (16m people) are “totally dependent” on the Oil-for-Food programme’s food ration to meet their basic nutritional intake.

The scandal, which has so far gone unreported, follows the UN’s appeal for $2.1bn over the next six months including an ‘emergency’ sum of ‘at least $325 million’ to meet the ‘urgent’ health care needs of the Iraqi people which are ‘deteriorating by the day’. The World Food Programme’s (WFP) Executive Director, James T. Morris, announced ‘a massive shortfall’ in amounts raised and that ‘more funds were desperately needed’. The next day, the UNCC issued payments, extracted from the oil-for-food programme, totaling $860m on 8 April to ‘370 successful claimants’, including $23m to the UK.

The scandal worsens. The UNCC payout was on the very first day of the Oil-for-Food’s new humanitarian mandate. Compensation claims from 1990 were given priority over emergency needs to advert a humanitarian disaster.

Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime accumulated debts and reparations claims of almost $400 billion. Now the objects of that oppression, the Iraqi people, are been forced to pay these claims ahead of the vital humanitarian relief they need.

James T. Morris (WFP) also said, “This is just the beginning of what may become the biggest humanitarian operation in history”. Any additional leakage of money from humanitarian funds will only prolong the suffering of the Iraqi people. Jubilee Iraq is calling for the immediate cancellation of all Saddam’s debt and reparations to allow the people of Iraq to live truly ‘liberated’ lives.

End – Contact: Justin Alexander: +44 78 1313 7171