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Providing technical advice and capacity building to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), which administers the elections; and
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Assisting the IHEC in updating voter registration rolls and providing accurate information on polling sites during the March 2010 parliamentarian election. Nine months after the March elections, Iraq’s leaders formed a government, which included all of the country’s main political and ethnic groups, and chose Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister.
Assisting Refugees and Providing Humanitarian Relief The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that the rate at which refugees and internally displaced persons returned to Iraq slowed in 2010; even so, that year saw 60,000 internally displaced persons and 16,000 refugees return home. UNHCR and partners continue to support 1.5 million displaced persons, providing basic services in camps, settlements, and urban settings while the UNHCR pursues durable long term solutions, including resettlement. In support of those returnees, the World Food Program (WFP) launched a “cash for work program” to provide short-term employment opportunities in agricultural infrastructure projects. This program aimed to employ 11,000 people in some of the most volatile regions where returnees were repatriating.
Upcoming Challenge To date, UNAMI has relied on coalition forces, including U.S. troops, to protect its staff and allow them to carry out their mission. As the U.S. draws down combat troops and prepares to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, UNAMI will need additional security protection and support.
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