The European Union has approved a €56.5 million programme of assistance to Iraq to help rebuild the country, the European Commission announced on Tuesday 27 November.
This programme aims to contribute to the development of the urban areas of Mosul and Basra and the rural areas of the governorate of Nineveh to help displaced populations return home, provide young people and women with livelihoods and meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations. It will also help to promote youth entrepreneurship.
"This new support will create opportunities and jobs, helping some of the most vulnerable communities to get back on their feet and rebuild their lives,” says European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica in a statement.
The granting of this aid stems from the commitments made by the EU at the international conference on the reconstruction of the country last February in Kuwait, where the EU announced €400 million - an envelope combining emergency humanitarian aid, development assistance and long-term stabilisation aid for Iraq (see EUROPE 11961). Of the €56.5 million committed on Tuesday, €15 million comes from the EU's Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)