Iraq: United Nations and Humanitarian Aid Organizations

The war with Iraq Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began on March 19, 2003, to overthrow Saddam Hussein and change the regime was accomplished when the Iraqi regime fell on April 9, 2003. On June 28, 2004, the U.S.-led coalition transferred full sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government, and the Iraqi government is now running the day-to-day operations of the country. On January 30, 2005, elections were held in Iraq for a transitional National Assembly, and there are plans to establish a permanent government by December 15, 2005. Currently, the main focus is to stabilize the security situation, continue to assist in reconstruction efforts, and coordinate and provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people. This report provides an annotated list of U.N. agencies that are involved in Iraq, key U.S. government agencies, and a sample list of major international and U.S.- based aid organizations that are providing humanitarian assistance to Iraq. Internet links to the U.N. agencies and humanitanan aid organizations are also provided. For detailed discussion on humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in Iraq, see CRS Report RL31833, Iraq Recent Developments in Reconstruction Assistance. This report will be updated as events warrant.