04/08/2004

£6m job creation scheme for southern Iraq launched

A government-backed £6 million scheme has been launched to created jobs in southern Iraq.

The Department for International Development's (DfID) Southern Iraq Employment and Services Programme (SIESP) aims to provide 1.75 million days of employment throughout the four southern provinces in Iraq by the end of 2004.

Specific projects will be determined by Provincial Councils and are expected to include construction work, support for irrigation and sewerage systems, and improvements to public areas.

Welcoming the launch of the new Programme, Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under Secretary for International Development, said: "Unemployment is a vital issue, affecting many thousands of families in the south of Iraq. This Programme offers real help in the form of work projects that will benefit communities across the region. We look forward to working in partnership with the Provincial Councils to help reduce poverty in southern Iraq."

Projects will be selected for funding based on their targeting of unemployed workers. The principal beneficiaries will be local communities and non-skilled workers, including a high proportion of returning refugees – the most vulnerable groups in southern Iraq.

Monitoring by DFID will help ensure that projects benefit different communities across the four provinces, including women, and those in rural areas.

(gmcg)

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