ITF News Archive

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Washington, November 22, 2005. The World Bank signed contract documents for the Fiduciary Monitoring Agent assignment (FMA) in Iraq.The FMA will support the Bank by monitoring the procurement of goods, services & works, conducting physical inspections, reviewing financial monitoring reports & expenditures financed from the ITF in coordination with local firms hired to carry out project-specific supervision. The contract with the selected international firm will become effective in early January 2006.

Washington, September 23, 2005 - On the occasion of the 2005 Annual Meetings, the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) of the World Bank holds a press briefing with Christiaan J. Poortman, Vice President, MENA, Mustapha K. Nabli, Chief Economist, Joseph P. Saba, Country Director (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) and Nigel Roberts, Country Director (West Bank & Gaza). The brief overview of the Bank operations in the region over the past year was followed by a Q&A session.

Washington, September 22, 2005 - A seminar entitled "The Reform Agenda in the Post-War Reconstruction of Iraq" was held on the occasion of the 2005 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group with a presentation from Dr. Ali Abdul Ameer Allawi, Minister of Finance of Iraq. The seminar addressed key economic challenges in present-day Iraq; the effective use of savings from subsidy reforms to construct targeted safety nets for the Iraqi poor; as well as the political economy of these reforms, their pacing and sequencing.

Mr. Mustapha Nabli, Chief Economist MENA, World Bank and Mr. Ali Allawi

Washington, September 21, 2005 - Dr. Kamal al Bassri,  Deputy Minister of Finance of Iraq and a member of official Iraqi Delegation to the Annual Meetings, comes to the World bank for a brown bag lunch presentation on Iraq's reform vision and its medium-term fiscal strategy.
Together with Minister of Finance Ali Allawi, Dr. Al- Basri will play a role in the formulation of Iraq's ambitious fiscal strategy which seeks to make the budget a central instrument of Government policy, and to place it in a medium-term strategic context. The strategy seeks to: (i) generate revenue by investing in the oil sector to raise production, (ii) accelerate and prioritize investment plans for 2007-2010; and (iii) improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the social transfer system. 

August 2005 - The World Bank ITF "Lessons Learned" study was launched this month, as noted at the Dead Sea meeting in July.  This study, conducted by an independent consultant firm under contract to the World Bank, will review and evaluate the institutional and organizational arrangements of the WB ITF under IRFFI, and build on previous analyses of other World Bank-managed multi-donor aid arrangements for post-conflict situations.  The study will evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Facility, including its fiduciary requirements and procedures, governance structure, management, oversight and accountability, and impact on donor coordination.  The study is expected to be completed by November 2005.

Amman, July 10, 2005 — Representatives of more than 60 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Bank, will gather at the Dead Sea in Jordan on July 18-19, 2005 to review progress and lessons learned from donor-financed reconstruction activities in Iraq. (Press release)

Brussels,  June 22, 2005- More than 80 countries and organizations gathered in Brussels at the invitation of the EU and the US, "building a renewed international partnership with Iraq, to support Iraq's political transition process, to encourage its economic recovery and reconstruction, and to help establish the rule of law and public order in the country."(Iraq International Conference Statement)

Amman, 13-20 May, 2005– Two training sessions have been delivered to Iraqi civil servants as part of the World Bank’s effort to assist Iraqin putting together a reform program for payroll and Human resources management. (more)

Washington, 24 May 2005 – Dr. Barham Salih, Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation of Iraq, comes to the World Bank for meetings. Discussions, described by the Minister as a “good working session”, covered a range of topics, including: the overall World Bank program in Iraq; reconstruction and reform strategy in key sectors; best practices in Donor Coordination; and issues regarding IRFFI.

Procurement underway for over $80 million in goods and services according to the latest World Bank Iraq Trust Fund Status Report  which outlines progress through end-April, 2005. (more)

Iraqi children proudly display their new textbooks  - March 2005 - The students consider the new textbooks so valuable that most of them cover their books with attractive paper to protect them.Teachers report that they are pleased with the quality of the textbooks and, for the first time since sanctions were imposed, there is a textbook for every child.   Implemented by the Iraqi Ministry of Education through the World Bank Iraq Trust Fund,    the Emergency Textbook Provision project  is financing the printing and distribution of 69 million textbooks for 6 million students in Iraq's primary and secondary schools. To date, the Ministry reports that about 95% of the textbooks for primary and secondary schools have been delivered.

The Iraq Data Sheet as of March 1, 2005, provides a concise overview of World Bank Iraq Trust Fund activities and data. (more)

Amman , Jordan, December 21, 2004 - The World Bank signed a $20 million grant agreement with Iraq's Minister of Water Resources on December 19, 2004 to finance an Emergency Community Infrastructure Project. Funded by the World Bank Iraq Trust Fund, the project will finance labor-intensive water supply, sanitation, and irrigation rehabilitation in rural areas, with emphasis on increasing involvement of communities in these works. (Press Release)

Iraq Receives $145 Million For Reconstruction And Development From World Bank Trust Fund - December 6, 2004, the World Bank signed three grant agreements with representatives from the interim Iraqi government for reconstruction and development projects in Iraq totaling $145 million. Financed by the World Bank’s Iraq Trust Fund, $90 million will be channeled to emergency projects in health, water supply and sanitation, and reconstruction in urban centers.  The remaining $55 million will be used to strengthen the financial and private sectors, of which $40 million will finance the building of a modern telecommunications network across the country (See  Press Release).

Third IRFFI Donor Meeting is Held in Tokyo - October 13-14, 2004 - The third meeting of the IRFFI donors was held in Tokyo at the invitation of the Government of Japan.  This was the first meeting of the donors since the hand-over of authority to the Iraqi Interim Government in June.  A total of 57 countries and institutions attended the meeting, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Shirota of Japan .

In his keynote speech, Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Saleh described the Iraqi Interim Government's vision of Iraq as a prosperous, peaceful and democratic country, with a fully accountable government that would be integrated into the international community (see   National Development Strategy and  Keynote Address)

In his speech "One Year Since Madrid", Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation and Chairman of the Iraqi Strategic Review Board, Dr. Al-Hafedh, emphasized that although there was still a way to go, the Iraqi people had witnessed considerable progress to date  (more)

The Islamic Republic of Iran Joins IRFFI Donor Committee with a firm commitment to contribute US$10 Million – October 13, 2004  - With the joining of Iran , IRFFI now has 24 donors who have pledged funds to IRFFI.  Of these, 17 serve on the Donor Committee.

Iraq and World Bank Sign Agreement to Build and Repair Schools – October 13, 2004 - Dr. Mehdi Al-Hafedh, Iraq’s Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation and Mr. Christian Poortman, World Bank Vice President for Middle East and North Africa, sign grant agreement for US$60 Million Emergency School Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project for Iraq .   (See project document)

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