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The Second Meeting of the Donors' Committee of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) and the Expanded Session of the Meeting

May 26, 2004

  1. The Second Meeting of the Donors' Committee of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) and the expanded session of the meeting were held in Doha upon invitation of the Qatar government with the participation of 15 major donors' committee members of the IRFFI and others over two days 25-26 May. Participants from Japan were Ambassador of Japan in charge of Reconstruction Assistance to Iraq, H.E. Mr. Shigeru Nakamura, as the Chair of the IRFFI Donor Committee, Deputy Director-General Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa of the Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as head of the Japanese delegation, and other officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. From Iraq, Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Mehdi al Hafedh and other officials attended the meeting. If was confirmed at this meeting that the IRFFI, which was first established at the International Donors' Conference on Reconstruction in Iraq held in Madrid last October, and agreed upon at the First Donors' Committee meeting in Abu Dhabi last February, has reached the stage of implementing specific projects. It was also confirmed that the international community should continue its assistance respecting the major role by the Iraqi authority, Breakout sessions were also arranged where line ministries and agencies concerned in the Iraqi government provided the participating countries and organizations which information on required donor activities regarding assistance for the reconstruction of Iraq in such sectors as water, power generation, education, health and employment creation. France, Germany, Russia, Greece, Iran, Turkey, Chile and other countries newly participated in the extended session of the meeting and shared a common intention to further enhance the international cooperation structure for the reconstruction assistance to Iraq.

  2. Prior to the meeting in Doha, the donors had announced contributions amounting to approximately $US 1 billion in total to the IRFFI, and the Donors' committee agreed this time on specific projects to be implemented through this IRFFI in line with the priorities given by the Iraqi side. Japan had already deposited to the IRFFI $US 450 million ($US 360 million for the fund administered by the United Nations (UN) and $US 90 million by the World Bank), and expressed this time its readiness to support projects those areas as power generation, education, water and sanitation, health and medical care, employment creation and environment which making arailable its deposited contribution for UN aguicies. Japan has also made an announcement on its plan to provide an additional contribution of $US 40 million (budget of the Ministry of Finance) to the World Bank Iraq Trust Fund in the near future for assistance in improving financial and investment climate as well as state-owned enterprises.

  3. The next meeting of the Donors' Committee is scheduled for this autumn in Tokyo.

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