In line with UNDP’s Global Integrated Response and the WHO Iraq Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, UNDP Iraq launched the project “Support for the COVID-19 Response in Iraq” in April 2020. To ensure agile, quality implementation in a rapidly evolving operational context, UNDP leveraged existing mechanisms and in-house resources to support its COVID-19 response in Iraq. The implementation of UNDP’s COVID-19 response makes use of the operational platforms of the Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS), the Iraq Social Cohesion Programme and the UNDP Iraq Accelerator Lab.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Iraq had plateaued, with the number of new cases decreasing to just over 900 per day at the end of December 2020. UNDP made significant progress in its support to selected healthcare facilities. By the end of 2020, a total of 220 airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) were complete in Anbar (Fallujah and Ramadi), Basra, Diyala (Baquba), Dohuk, Karbala, Kirkuk, Ninewa (Mosul), Tikrit, Amara (Missan), Babil (Hillah), Najaf and Nasriya (Thi-Qar). The procurement and provision of medical equipment and essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for all locations is underway. 180 ventilators and patient monitors, 10 defibrillators and 180 suction devices have been delivered to 8 healthcare facilities, while cumulatively 8,160 N95 masks have been provided to facilities in 8 governorates.