SIGIR Quarterly Report to the United States Congress
Abstract
This quarter marked the sixth anniversary of the U.S. entry into Iraq. Since the March 20, 2003, invasion, the Congress has appropriated $51 billion in foreign aid for relief and reconstruction efforts that have touched every aspect of Iraqi society, from training and equipping its security forces to improving the delivery of essential services. These tens of billions in taxpayer dollars were provided chiefly to four major funds: the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund ($20.86 billion), the Iraq Security Forces Fund ($18.04 billion), the Economic Support Fund ($3.74 billion), and the Commander's Emergency Response Program ($3.5 billion). As of March 31, 2009, the United States had obligated $42.16 billion and expended $37.89 billion for Iraq reconstruction. Several landmark events shaped continuing relief and reconstruction efforts this quarter: Governance. On January 31, 2009, the Government of Iraq (GOI) conducted longawaited provincial elections in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces, choosing new Provincial Councils that will play increasingly important roles in Iraq's reconstruction. In several ethnically and denominationally mixed provinces, election results corrected representational imbalances caused by the Sunni boycott of the 2005 provincial elections. Moreover, the provincial elections inaugurated a "year of elections" in Iraq, which will culminate in December with parliamentary elections, the first plebiscite on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's governing coalition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 30, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA519307
Entities
People
- Stuart W. Bowen
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction