Increasing role for UN agencies in Kurdistan, Zebari

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: Dr.Dindar Zebari, assistant Foreign Relations Director for UN affairs and international organizations in Kurdistan government declared thst the role of UN organizations in the region is increasing since 2004. In a statement to IraqiNews.com, he added that about 400 UN officials are now in Kurdistan divided on 14 organizations. Zebari continued that “the UN organizations helped the Kurdish government through development programmes, particularly the legal, through technical and scientific support”. He pointed out that World Health Organization (WHO) has a great role in technical support to the ministry of health, through medical supplies and training courses. “World Food Programme (WFP) has continued participation in school nutrition, in addition to UNESCO in the support of ministries of education and higher education through potentialities development”, he added. On the role of the UNICEF, he added that the organization supported the government with different types of equipment, in addition to UN-HABITAT which helped in preparing a strategic programme for Arbil in housing spheres. He added that UNHCR, which is connected with human rights questions, gave greater assistance to the Christian families who took refuge in Kurdistan following the disturbances in mid Iraq. Zebari pointed out the role of UNFPA in supporting civil society organizations in fields of women through workshops and training courses. 60