The World Bank will make available an estimated $37.5 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq over the next few years, an official told Egypt's state-owned al-Ahram newspaper this week. Joseph Saba, the bank's key figure on Iraq, said the figure was based on recent studies carried out by the bank, adding that he expected the effort to get underway soon.
"Should we wait until the situation stabilises and allow the children to remain at home without education; and the people without a drop of clean drinking water, food or healthcare?" Saba asked. "We have to start now despite all the destruction."
He predicted that actual work would begin over the next "six to eight months" and be carried out over several phases, with the bulk of the money being used in the initial phase. He could not say, however, how long he expected the work to continue. "We cannot set a clear time table for the entire reconstruction plan," he said. "Nobody can say definitively."
The bank had identified four main priorities or areas it wanted to focus on in the near future, including education, infrastructure and social projects: "Our focus shall be on basic education; building modern schools and supplying them with the necessary equipment, books and computers."
Saba acknowledged that although infrastructure projects were necessary they were very difficult to execute due to the scale of the destruction as a result of the war and the ongoing violence. "But it is an essential issue as it is related to water, sanitation and the general health of the Iraqi people," he added.
Source: Middle East Online
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