A Recent Story of NGOs in Northern Iraqi Kurdistan

Revue éditée par Médecins du MondeInternational audienceIn comparison to the other areas of Iraq, Kurdistan Region, in the northern part of the country, witnessed very specific working conditions for NGOs present there, due to its specific political situation as a de facto independent area. This paper tries to describe these conditions, vastly different from the others parts of Iraq. More specifically, after a short historical background, this paper deals with the period going from the 1991 "Kuweit War" to the date of publication (March 2005), with a focus on the period from 1996 to the US-UK intervention of March 2003. An important section deals with the United Nations sanctions and the subsequent Oil for Food Security Council Resolution. This very unusual international situation had an important impact on the day-to-day life in Kurdistan Region, as well as - paradoxically - a negative one on the funding opportunities open to NGOs working there. A short list of NGOs is given with some indications about their field of activities and projects at the time, and a scanty evaluation of the presence of International agencies as well as NGOs in this area is proposed