European Union contributes EUR 1.3M for emergency reproductive health services in Iraq

Women and girls of reproductive age, including women with disabilities, in Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salahuddin governorates will benefit from the reproductive health services provided by UNFPA, such as gynaecological consultations, Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC), family planning, maternal health and clinical management of rape.

“The need for health services in the country have increased due to the ongoing movement of population and the pandemic, especially for woman and girls. This contribution is crucial. It provides life-saving reproductive health services to conflict-affected women in more than one governorate in Iraq,” said Christophe Reltien, the EU Humanitarian Aid Head of Office in Iraq.

UNFPA Representative, Dr Rita Columbia, expressed her appreciation for the recent contribution: “We are extremely grateful for this renewed contribution from the EU. Women and girls in Iraq continue to face many challenges especially in terms of access to reproductive health services. The new funding will allow us to reach the most vulnerable communities in the rural areas and displaced communities, despite the exacerbated humanitarian crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The EU is a long-standing partner of UNFPA in Iraq and a strong advocate for the reproductive health and rights of women and girls. Since 2015, the EU has contributed EUR 19.7 million in support of UNFPA’s humanitarian interventions in camps and host communities and secondary displacement areas in Iraq.