Under the Lead Inspector General framework, the Inspectors General for the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development conduct oversight of and report on the overseas contingency operation "Operation Inherent Resolve" (OIR). The mission of OIR is to advise, assist, and enable partner forces until they can independently defeat ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria, in order to set conditions for long-term security cooperation frameworks. The broader counter-ISIS campaign includes supporting the Iraqi government and local Syrian partners with civilian-led stabilization activities. This report also discusses the planned, ongoing, and completed oversight work conducted by the Lead IG agencies and our partner oversight agencies during the quarter.
State and USAID continued to support the reintegration of previously returned Syrians into their new communities. During the quarter, USAID funded 13 implementers, including 10 NGOs, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF, and WHO, to provide health assistance in Syria, including delivering medical supplies, deploying mobile medical units, and surgical teams to treat trauma-related injuries and provide mental health and psychosocial support services at temporary shelters housing displaced populations. USAID funded 19 implementers, including the UNICEF, WFP, WHO, and 16 non-governmental organizations (NGO), to provide emergency food and nutrition assistance within Syria and to Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. USAID funds 15 implementers to provide water, sanitation, and health assistance in Syria. USAID also works with civil society organizations to aggregate community needs and advocate for community interests with relevant governance actors to promote stability and encourage the participation of citizens, civil society, and other stakeholders at the local level. USAID operations temporarily paused some activities during the quarter to reassess the security situation.
On November 25, USAID Iraq launched a $20 million partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to improve water and sanitation services in collaboration with the Iraqi government. This program will benefit 2.5 million people across Maysan, Diwaniyah, Ninewa, Baghdad, and Erbil provinces over the next 4 years. State PRM and USAID—through UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and several NGOs—continued to support vulnerable host communities who are absorbing returnees, including al-Hol returnees. Through the Community Reconciliation and Reintegration of Iraqis Returning from Syria’s Al Hol Camp activity, USAID has supported a total of 3,040 direct beneficiaries, including 1,528 al-Hol returnees and 1,512 host community members, selected through a community-led, conflict-sensitive process in Anbar, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, and Ninewa. During the quarter, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) funded eight active awards valued at $19.8 million. USAID BHA also aided IOM and WHO in responding to communicable disease outbreaks by implementing risk communication activities, strengthening disease surveillance, and training medical professionals on screening and treatment.
Also read the Report in Brief.