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As talks about the future of sanctions against Iraq quietly progress, Save
the Children, the UK's leading international children's charity, met today
with the Department for International Development (DfID) to present the
findings of a new study into Kurdish livelihoods in Northern Iraq, and to
urge the UK Government to consider the economic and humanitarian impact of
any change to the sanctions regime.

The Save the Children UK study concludes that sanctions and the Oil for Food
program have almost totally impoverished the population of Northern Iraq --
raising dependency levels to internationally unprecedented levels - and that
the Government of Iraq is a major beneficiary of the Oil for Food program,
as it manages food distribution. The organisation warned, however, that any
scaling back of the Oil for Food program currently associated with sanctions
could "send Kurds living in Northern Iraq over the edge into a humanitarian
catastrophe."

According to the report, large sectors of the Kurdish population in Northern
Iraq are dependent on relief rations for over 90 percent of their food --
with over half of the population living in poverty. Most have no household
assets, and therefore nothing to fall back on in the event of a decrease in
their food rations, as they were forced to sell their possessions in order
to survive in the early 1990s.

"The irony is that while the Oil for Food program is what is keeping these
people alive, it is also what put them in this situation to begin with,"
said Alastair Kirk, Save the Children UK's research officer based in
Northern Iraq. "Any change to the Oil for Food program needs to be very
well-thought through, as the current situation is a disaster waiting to
happen."

"The conditions we witnessed in Northern Iraq are comparable to some of the
worst we have ever seen - including in sub-Saharan Africa," said Gary
Sawdon, a Save the Children food security advisor who has assisted in
several humanitarian crises. "These people are in an incredibly vulnerable
situation - any external 'shock', such as a internal or external conflict,
price increases, drought, or other natural disaster - could spell tragedy."

While sharing their findings with DfID on Kurdish livelihoods, Save the
Children UK also sought assurances from the Department that they will
urgently consider conducting a full economic analysis of the situation in
the whole of Iraq.

"As bad as the situation is for the Kurds, all indications are that after
nearly 11 years of sanctions, Iraqis living in south and central Iraq are
even worse off," said Kirk. "The fact is, sanctions - as they are currently
being implemented - simply do not work. They have a disproportionate effect
on those who are most vulnerable in Iraqi society - particularly children."

"We urge the UK government, in all of its bilateral dealings and
particularly at the UN, to use its influence to help avoid the possibility
of a deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq," Kirk. "Regardless of
international politics, surely all can agree that the children of Iraq
deserve no less than our utmost attention to their development and
well-being. The international community, together with the Government of
Iraq, shares the responsibility for ensuring that the Iraqi people cease to
be the primary victims of the sanctions and Oil for Food programs."

Save the Children UK's recommendations are, amongst others, that:

< if the sanctions regime is to continue, military and economic objectives
must be delinked, as a first step towards safeguarding the health and
welfare of the civilian population of the whole of Iraq;
< there be an urgent assessment of the economic impact of Oil for Food
programme on households throughout Iraq, as evidence suggests that the
situation in the central and southern areas is even worse than that in
Northern Iraq;
< the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and the Iraqi Government be
rewritten to allow for the development of services for children and informal
market economy structures in Iraq, including the local procurement of
agricultural goods.
For more information or to receive a copy of The Household Economy:
Understanding the situation of Kurdish livelihoods, contact the Save the
Children Press Office at: tel: 020 7716 2280 (out of hours: 07831 650 409),
Email address: press@scfuk.org.uk