NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI)

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NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq
(NCCI) Operating in High Risk Environment NGOs
intervention adapted to insecurity in Iraq
Overview Challenges   July 2010 / ECOSOC New
York
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Operating context for NGOs in Iraq

• Ongoing Instability and Insecurity
• Despite the important increase in security over
  the past few years when compared to the levels of
  2006 and 2007, violence still affects the country
  and has a considerable impact on civilian lives.
• High political instability which does not allow
  the Iraqi government to address crucial
  challenges, necessary for the country
  stabilization, such as
• - The formation of a new government
• - The ongoing withdrawal of foreign troops
• - The political disagreement over the disputed
  territories
• - The administration and ownership of oil
  resources
• - The disarmament of armed groups and militias
• The integrations of some of those groups into the
  Iraqi security forces
• Without addressing seriously those concerns,
  stability security would not be guaranteed

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Operating context for NGOs in Iraq

• Risk of confusion humanitarian/militaries roles
• Most of the NGOs in Iraq regard the combination
  of military and humanitarian roles within the US
  forces as a serious operational constraint
  bringing confusion in people minds.
• The misperception of being affiliated with the US
  Forces in Iraq undermines their acceptance by
  local communities and limits their ability to
  respond to humanitarian needs
• NGOs are careful to keep their distance from the
  military forces so as not to appear affiliated
  with, or co-opted by, an unpopular party to the
  conflict. However the perception of many Iraqis
  is that western aid agencies are affiliated with
  what they regard as the occupation.

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Operating context for NGOs in Iraq

• Limited UN operations in the field
• The international communitys efforts to address
  humanitarian needs improve the situation in
  Iraq have also been hindered by the limited
  presence involvement of the UN in the country
• 7 years after Canal Hotel bombing, UN OCHA Iraq
  main office is still based in Amman lack viable
  presence in Iraq - especially at community level.
  This has critical implications for its ability to
  accurately assess humanitarian needs, coordinate
  monitor projects on the ground
• For many NGOs, the UN still have serious
  difficulties today to ensure humanitarian
  coordination in Iraq because of security
  challenges and major restrictions.

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Modus operandi of NGOs in Iraq

• NGOs situation in Iraq
• Today, there are around 70 INGOs working in Iraq
  directly or indirectly (through Iraqi NGO
  partners)
• 2. In 2010, it is believed that there are between
  10,000 and 12,000 NNGOs of whom 6000 are
  registered at the NGO Directorate.

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Modus operandi of NGOs in Iraq

• International NGOs
• INGOs have been playing a significant role in
  providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable
  people (some have been working in Iraq since the
  mid-1990s)
• Their engagement in Iraq is absolutely necessary
  for several reasons
• There are still huge humanitarian and development
  needs in Iraq that the government does not yet
  have the capacity to effectively address.
• They build the capacity of the Iraqi NGOs
  through partnership in the field.
• They involve community members in a way that
  promotes their ownership over decision making.
  This is fundamental to ensure an adequate and
  sustainable recovery process. 
• Most INGOs do not use armed protection,
  preferring to utilize a security model that
  relies on seeking acceptance support of the
  communities where they work.

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Modus operandi of NGOs in Iraq

• The Iraqi NGO community
• Iraqi NGOs made a significant contribution to
  delivering humanitarian and development
  assistance.
• Most Iraqi NGOs were established when
  International NGOs withdraw from Iraq as security
  conditions began to deteriorate (2003-2005)

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Modus operandi of NGOs in Iraq
The Iraqi NGO community With little or no prior
experience, Iraqi NGOs accepted high levels of
risk and adapted to deteriorating conditions and
changing needs. Most programs addressed needs
related both to post-2003 conflict and long-term
deprivation from basic services dating back to
the Iran-Iraq War. However, as the Iraqi NGOs
still lack capacity and experience, the
supportive role of INGOs remains essential to
empower the Iraqi civil society to effectively
respond to the needs of their communities.
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Modus operandi of NGOs in Iraq
How do NGOs Operate in Iraq Over the past years,
NGOs had learned how to adapt and re-adapt their
operations to the changing context and were
providing effective assistance and protection
even in areas where insecurity had persisted or
worsened. Like all key stakeholders involved in
aid delivery in Iraq, NGOs also face multiple
obstacles in responding to the needs. However the
key comparative advantages that they have are
their streamlined approaches, and their ability
to react quickly to respond to the needs, to
develop strategies and ensure sustainability by
- Adapting their modus operandi and activities
to the volatile context - Building trust and
acceptance with the communities they serve -
Involving communities in the processes of
deciding upon, investing in, implementing and
maintaining projects that meet their most
pressing needs.
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Modus operandi of NGOs in Iraq
NGOs perception of security Staff security
without access achieve little or no humanitarian
impact Several large, well guarded humanitarian
agencies have maintained a presence in security
bubbles due to continuing security risks.
Agencies operating from enclosed compounds or
those that move under armed protection lose
meaningful access to communities in need because
of the way their affiliations with such security
actors are perceived by the population in much of
Iraq. Access without safety is
unsustainable Some organizations have succeeded
in gaining temporary access to volatile crisis
areas then have lost it suddenly sometimes
tragically to the point where they have been
forced to cease operations, release their staff,
and close programs.
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Key elements of success for operating in Iraq
UNDERSTANDING OF SECURITY CONTEXT MODUS
OPERANDI ACCEPTANCE ACCESS INFORMATION
COORDINATION
Neutrality, Clarify roles between NGOs
Military, Impartiality
Do no Harm, Experienced Staff, Flexibility,
Mobility, Keeping Reasonable size
Networking and Community Participation, Capacity
Building , Local Ownership
Networks, Needs Assessments, Needs based Programs
and Field Presence