LocationsFazaa 2020. Ninewa Governorate.
When coronavirus pandemic restrictions started in March 2020, movement in Iraq on the ground became difficult for many service providers and aid organizations. To reach vulnerable populations, 19 Local Peace Committees (LPCs) supported and empowered by UNDP Iraq to respond to community needs and mitigate conflict sprung into motion in April to help families and individuals cope with the impacts of the pandemic. LPC members, community-based organizations, and volunteers worked tirelessly to identify vulnerable families, assemble and distribute food and hygiene packages, educate the public about COVID-19 prevention, and sanitize public spaces.
During the first campaign launched in Spring 2020, LPCs in Salah al-Din, Anbar and Ninewa reached 64, 181 beneficiaries. During the second campaign, from December 2020 to January 2021, 47, 473 beneficiaries were reached, for a total of 111, 654.
Pulse of Hope 2020. Anbar Governorate. 
“Local Peace Committees work in several areas, including providing food to the vulnerable and supporting community reconciliation. There are more than a thousand missing and martyrs (those killed in conflict) in the Fallujah district, with most families in villages unable to sustain their livelihoods.” -Sheikh Muhammad Hamid, member of the Central Peace Committee, the Fallujah Peace Committee, and the Al-Awaraf Peace Committee in Anbar Governorate.
Janat al-Frdws 2020. Salah al-Din Governorate.
“While distributing packages in Salah al-Din, we came across a family that lives under the shade of a dilapidated tent. The children, four boys and two girls, had lost their father because of his affiliation with ISIL, and their mother was struggling to provide for them. The eldest child was suffering from leukemia without access to treatment.” -Abdul Karim Hassan, Shirqat Local Peace Committee.
Fazaa 2020. Ninewa Governorate.
“The distribution of food and hygiene packages was necessary for families in Ninewa due to an increase in unemployment caused by the curfew and the fact that 70% of people in the region have been displaced for several years and some have recently returned, living in a state of poverty.” - Nashat Sadiq Alqassab, Director of Ayadhia sub-district and member of Tal Afar Local Peace Committee in Ninewa Governorate.
The distribution of food and hygiene packages, also known as life support packages, was made possible due to generous contributions from the governments of Denmark and Germany. Community-based organizations supported the distributions, including Kurdistan Human Rights Watch, Fazaa, Pulse of Hope, Janat al-Frdws, and the United Iraqi Medical Society.
In 2021, Local Peace Committees will continue their support to vulnerable communities with various initiatives supported by UNDP Iraq.
