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Canada supports Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ's life-saving work in Iraq

BAGHDAD ¨C In 2021, the United Nations Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ (Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ) received a total of a CAD 5.5 million contribution from the Government of Canada, including CAD 1 million from a regional project between Canada and Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ. This donation has helped Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ provide food assistance to 255,000 displaced Iraqi families and 72,000 Syrian refugees living in camps as well as emergency livelihood restoration activities throughout 2021.

Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ focuses on women and youth in all its work, including with Canada¡¯s funding, through innovative urban livelihood projects that provided vocational and skills training to those most in need in cities and towns, while also teaching online marketing. In the long term, such activities support participants to provide a living for themselves and their families.

¡°This multi-year contribution from Canada has enabled Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ to continue providing monthly food assistance to the most vulnerable families, alongside helping people rebuild their lives,¡± said Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Iraq Representative Ally-Raza Qureshi. ¡°Such activities are helping change the lives of Iraqis who are returning home and trying to get back on their feet after conflict, through our resilience-building and livelihood-generating projects, which also foster entrepreneurship.¡±

 In 2021, over half of Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ¡¯s participants from urban livelihoods were women. With its multi-year approach, Canada¡¯s contribution allowed Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ to effectively plan its assistance to support those most in need.

 Last year, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ also completed a gender transformative programme through the enhanced integration and mainstreaming of gender throughout all planning and implementation levels of its activities. This builds upon years of working towards improving gender equality and having policies and strategies on the ground to ensure prioritizing women and girls.

 Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ is grateful to the Government of Canada and its people for their continued and steadfast support to the most vulnerable families in Iraq, especially women-headed households, and their children.

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The United Nations Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ is the world¡¯s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Follow us on Twitter @Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ_Iraq @wfp_mena @wfpgovts

Topics

Iraq Canada Refugees and migration Funding Food security

Contact

For more information, please contact:

Sharon Rapose, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Erbil,

+964 780 915 0962, sharon.rapose@wfp.org

Saif al-Tatooz, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Baghdad,

+964 780 915 6198, saif.altatooz@wfp.org