In partnership with UNICEF, NCCI is running a pilot project to build the capacities of ten NNGOs operating in the governorates of Baghdad and Anbar. The project aims to enhance the capacities of these NNGOs in the fields of coordination, information sharing, WASH, child protection and education. The NNGOs will also receive training to improve their technical abilities to act as active focal points for UNICEF. NCCI already delivered a training workshop in May, which concluded with a six weeks work plan for these NNGOs. During the first two weeks of the project implementation these NNGOs were able to successfully run rapid needs assessments, covering more than 13,500 displaced families in camp and non-camp settings in both Anbar and Baghdad,…

The NCCI Field Coordination Network is a team of 25 local NGO partners who act as Focal Points (FP) in all of Iraq’s 18 governorates. The Focal Points provide a structure in the field that regularly provides information updates on humanitarian and development issues, and supports the field coordination efforts to ensure an all of Iraq approach. The Field Coordination Network (FCN) held its annual regional coordination meeting for the southern region in the city of Basra on the 31st of May 2015. NCCI’s national NGO focal points from the governorates of Basra, Missan, Thiqar, Diwaniya and Wassit participated in the meeting, which is the first of three planned regional meetings for northern, central, and southern Iraq. The meeting agenda…

NCCI organizes monthly general coordination meetings in its offices in Baghdad and Erbil. At these meetings NGOs and other relevant actors involved in the humanitarian response in Iraq convene to share information, coordinate their operations and develop common action points on issues pertaining to the current emergency. On 27th of May a general coordination meeting, attended by 22 local and international NGOs, was held at NCCI’s office in Erbil. The meeting started with a presentation on the inter-agency-IDP call center, which will function as a communication channel between IDPs and humanitarian actors. This call-center will allow IDPs to issue complaints and ask questions about the available humanitarian services. The center will start its operations in Erbil and Kerbala, and will…

In 2015, the IDP crisis in Iraq is becoming even more complicated due to new waves of displacement, and secondary or tertiary displacements to locations that are more secure, and where more services are provided. The most recent example is the displacement wave from Anbar to several provinces, especially Baghdad. Several national NGOs are active in Baghdad, and try to provide increasing aid to these displaced persons, even though their resources are limited and their capacities are stretched. NCCI supports these local NGOs through coordination and information sharing with international actors and by building their capacities. Driven by its mandate NCCI, in partnership with UNICEF, started a project in which 10 NNGOs from Baghdad and Anbar will be trained to…

On Tuesday 19th May NCCI organized a safety and security meeting at Mercy Corps’ office in Baghdad. The safety and security meetings are one of the thematic meetings that NCCI organizes regularly, and which aim to fill the gaps in security coordination for NGOs operating in central and southern Iraq. Ten international NGOs attended the meeting, and discussed security and access issues in the central and southern governorates of Iraq, especially focusing on the recent developments in Anbar, Baghdad and Diyala. The participants discussed both access and security issues affecting NGO operations in these areas, as well as the increasing difficulties for IDPs to access safety and aid. Furthermore NGOs talked about the need for tailored safety and security trainings,…

In August 2014 the United Nations declared the humanitarian crisis in Iraq to be a level 3 (L3) Emergency. An Operational Peer Review (OPR) is being conducted to evaluate the L3 response and identify areas for improvement. The OPR is an inter-agency, collaborative process and focusses on the following areas: (i) leadership arrangements; (ii) coordination mechanisms; (iii) application of the humanitarian program cycle; (iv) accountability to affected people; (v) key obstacles affecting operational delivery; and (vi) improving the response to the needs of women and girls. The NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) has been supporting the OPR process in a number of ways. On 13 May NCCI organized a preparation meeting on the OPR for NGOs in its office…