$9.978 Billion Transferred to Development Fund for Iraq
Transfers of $1 billion each were made on 28 May, 31 October and 18 November 2003 from the United Nations Iraq escrow account, at the request of the Security Council contained in paragraph 17 of resolution 1483 (2003) of 22 May 2003. Another $2.6 billion was transferred on 31 December 2003, a further $2 billion on 31 March and $0.5 billion on 19 April 2004. Three more transfers, totalling $1.128 billion, were made in 2004 and three transfers totalling $0.75 billion have been made in 2005.
UN Secretary-General Praises
Work of Oil-for-Food Programme
United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has praised the Oil-for-Food Programme
for accomplishing one of the largest, most complex and unusual tasks
ever entrusted to the Secretariat.
In a
statement to the Security Council
(20 November 2003), he noted that the Programme, which closed on
21 November was the only humanitarian programme
ever to have been funded entirely from resources belonging to the
nation it was designed to help.
He said that in nearly
seven years of operation, the Programme had been required to meet
"an almost impossible series of challenges", using some $46 billion
of Iraqi export earnings on behalf of the Iraqi people. Under the
Programme, nine different United Nations agencies, programmes and
funds developed and managed humanitarian operations in Iraq, meeting
the needs of the civilian population across some 24 economic and
social sectors.
The Secretary-General
paid tribute to the national and international staff of the
Programme and said that in accordance with Security Council
resolutions, the UN would hand operational responsibilities,
together with remaining funds and assets ranging from schools to
electrical power stations and some $8.2 billion worth of food,
medicines and other essential supplies – to the Coalition
Provisional Authority.
He noted that the actual
delivery of these items would continue well into next year and that
any unspent or undispersed amounts would be transferred to the
Development Fund for Iraq after the Programme closes.
He said that although the
UN was closing the Oil-for-Food Programme, it "remained determined
to continue helping Iraq's long-suffering people" in whatever ways
were still open to it. (Posted 22 November)
Oil-for-Food Programme Ready
for
21 November Handover
The Executive Director of
the Oil-for-Food Programme, Mr. Benon Sevan,
updated the Security
Council today (19
November) on arrangements for the handover of programme operations
and responsibilities to the Coalition Provision Authority (CPA) on
Friday. Termination of the Programme is effective as of midnight 21
November, 2003.
Mr. Sevan said that the
CPA should ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place from 22
November for the effective management of the billions of dollars
worth of supplies and equipment destined for Iraq from the
Programme’s delivery pipeline and for authenticating the arrival of
these goods to facilitate payment to the suppliers.
Mr Sevan noted that the
CPA has been in close discussions with the UN independent inspection
agent, Cotecna with a view to the retention of its services for a
limited period after termination of the Programme and has given
assurances that a final decision in that regard will soon be taken,
thus ensuring the continuation of authentication arrangements beyond
21 November 2003.
Goods and supplies in the
pipeline currently total some $8.2 billion and will continue to be
delivered to Iraq well into 2004. (Posted 19 November 2003)
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