Japan continues to promote social stability and economic recovery in Iraq

VIENNA, In line with ongoing efforts to promote social stabilization and accelerated economic recovery in Iraq, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Japan have recently launched a new technical cooperation project to help build the economic resilience of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Nineveh Governorate.

Nineveh Governorate has been severely affected by the ISIS conflict. Despite significant numbers of people returning to the areas from which they had initially been displaced, many are still facing obstacles in their attempts to return. Thirty per cent of the internally displaced families in Nineveh are still living in camps, and the protracted nature of the displacement has led to increased vulnerability.

UNIDO’s project, “Promotion of social stabilization and acceleration of economic recovery in Nineveh Governorate of Iraq”, will provide IDPs in the Nineveh Governorate with technical skills and entrepreneurship training, as well as equipment and tool support to establish their own livelihoods and income-generating activities. UNIDO will give particular attention to promoting livelihood activities that provide immediate economic benefits for beneficiary families and, through that, help alleviate the hardships brought about by the COVID-19 lockdown. The Government of Iraq imposed stringent curfews and movement restrictions for several weeks.

The project will additionally support Mosul University’s College of Engineering in strengthening its teaching and training capacities and, as a result, accelerate access to employment in the newly liberated areas.

Japan’s Ambassador to Iraq, His Excellency Naofumi Hashimoto, stated, “Japan has recently decided to provide a new assistance package for Iraq amounting to US$41m including this project to assist IDPs in Nineveh Governorate. With this package, the total amount of Japan’s assistance to the people affected by the crisis has reached US$540m since 2014.”

He added, “I hope that the assistance from the Government and people of Japan will help IDPs to rebuild livelihoods and economic resilience.” The project is a continuation of a previous UNIDO intervention in the Nineveh Governorate which focused on training and institutional capacity-building as a means to ensure long-term and sustainable economic resilience.