During the second quarter of 2016, the FFIS Steering Committee approved the expansion of UNDP’s stabilization programme to 17 areas in total. Currently, 3 out of the 17 areas are still under ISIL control. As UNDP expands its stabilization operations in Anbar, the ongoing assessments show that the scale and complexity of the explosive contamination problem in newly liberated areas in Anbar is substantial, unprecedented and it exceeds existing national capacity.  

As the military retakes additional territory, further extensive contamination is anticipated. It was found that a comprehensive explosive hazard mitigation strategy is required to address the problem before any stabilization efforts can proceed and this has impacted on the second quarter achievements. Ramadi, liberated end of December 2015, has been the test case for dealing with the huge explosive hazard. Besides endangering the lives of returning residents, these hazards impact the work of contractors and youth brigades and therefore have considerably delayed work by FFIS to return basic services and repair infrastructure as well as engage in livelihoods activities to revitalize the economy.

Since May 2016, Janus Global - a mine action company contracted by the U.S. State Department - started clearance work in Ramadi to ensure the prioritized FFIS sites were safe for contractors to work. It is important to note that Janus was contracted to immediately search and “clear” sites of Explosive Hazards (EH) in Iraq, not to perform specific threat assessments or site surveys. Janus work also followed the initial clearance operations carried out by Iraqi security forces, police and civil defense. Optima Company, contracted through the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), carried out a threat impact assessment of explosive hazards in different neighborhoods in Ramadi in June 2016 with the view to better define the degree of contamination. This is an important tool to guide stabilization interventions.

Despite the above challenges, FFIS was able to start work in Ramadi through the installation of the first 20 generators in various neighborhoods of East, West and downtown Ramadi with the remaining 133 generators being installed in July/August. Contractors started rehabilitation work of primary health care centres, schools, water stations and sewage treatment plants. Of the 29 priority rehabilitation projects of the first phase in Ramadi, 13 are currently ongoing. In addition, 3 rubble removal projects have started in East, West and downtown Ramadi employing 450 people over several months.

Interventions in Baiji (Salah Al-Din governorate) continue to be delayed due to the close proximity to the frontline and as of June 2016, no returns to the city of Baiji have been registered. Stabilization activities in Al Saadiyah have progressed with some delay due to the Ramadi priorities but most rehabilitation projects such as health centre, water station and electricity materials are currently underway with increasing returns of the population. Access to Sinjar city has improved and stabilization activities have now been launched to install some generators and rehabilitate the health centre and the main administrative building in the least destroyed and contaminated area of Sinjar city. FFIS has also been requested to start with pre-positioning of equipment for Mosul.

The number of returns has steadily increased to the various liberated areas. The latest IOM data from the Displacement Tracking Matrix indicate that an additional 206,000 people returned home over the last 3 months, which sets the total number of returnees up to 22 June at 754,158.

Nineteen donor countries have signed agreements for support to FFIS totaling around US$105 million of which $81.7 million has been received as of 30 June 2016. An additional $60 million has been announced but agreements have not yet been concluded. No contributions have been announced yet for the Expanded Stabilization channel of the Funding Facility.