Baghdad/Ninewa – Sixty municipality shops in Tal Abta and three primary schools in Sinjar that were damaged or destroyed during the ISIL conflict were officially inaugurated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ninewa Governorate.

Benefitting around 1,900 residents, the four facilities in western Ninewa were rehabilitated through UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS) with generous funding provided by the Government of Canada.

The three fully rehabilitated schools have the capacity to accommodate around 1,290 students in Sinjar. While the municipality shops will serve approximately 600 patrons per day. The sixty shops also include a vegetable market with the capacity to hold 50 vendors that will help formalize micro businesses in the region and contribute to sustainable livelihoods creation.

Since 2015, Canada has contributed more than US $38 million to FFS, supporting infrastructure rehabilitation and placing a special focus on promoting livelihood and employment opportunities for Iraq’s most vulnerable communities.

“Rehabilitating infrastructure and services, such as schools, municipality shops, water treatment plants, electricity substations and livelihoods productive infrastructure are important to ensure people return home safely and with dignity. Western Ninewa has always been a priority area for FFS and will continue to be as we work tirelessly alongside the international community, the Ninewa Governorate and local community leaders to support the return of the remaining vulnerable displaced populations,” says UNDP’s Resident Representative in Iraq, Zena Ali Ahmad.

“We are extremely grateful to our longstanding partners, the Government of Canada for generously funding these projects. We are proud to support critical sectors like education and livelihoods in Iraq, and we look forward to continuing our work together to build a stable and prosperous Iraq,” she added.

"The opening of these shops is a significant achievement for this community and tangibly demonstrates the important work of the UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilization in fully supporting the transitions between humanitarian, peace, and development efforts in Iraq. The shops will help set the conditions for families to end their displacement, return home, and contribute to their community's long-term economic and cultural recovery. Canada is proud to support this programme," says Ambassador of Canada to Iraq, Gregory Galligan.

Since 2015, through the Funding Facility for Stabilization, UNDP has completed around 3,100 stabilization projects across the liberated areas of Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, Salah Al-Din.  To date, the programme has supported the return of more than 4.8 million displaced people back to their place of origin.

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Mrinalini Santhanam, Communication Specialist | +9647901931308