Better finance management, combatting corruption needed in Iraq: USAID Official

Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda spoke with Andrew Plitt, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator for the Middle East on Friday, discussing a wide range of issues including USAID’s financial support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the assistance that the US provides to Iraq in terms of governance. Plitt also discussed the need to improve on the management of finances in the Kurdistan Region and the need to eliminate all windows for corruption. 

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Rudaw: Let's start with that. You have a strong presence in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. What are your main goals and focus in these two areas?

Andrew: In Iraq and Kurdistan, we're certainly helping to try to work with the government to improve overall governance in the country, as well as to spur economic growth and also to address the impacts and the recovery from the issues of the destruction that Da'esh left in the country.

For the fiscal year 2023, the president's budget requested 156 million US dollars for programs and assistance to Iraq, Do you still have these funds for Iraq for 2023 or there will be additional funds for the Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan?

Andrew: Well, the 156 million that we requested, it remains to be seen how much of that will be approved through the congressional process, but we're confident it should be something towards that amount and so that we hope to continue with a lot of the investments we've been
doing there. This amount doesn't include humanitarian assistance allocations, so we'll also be looking at those needs as they develop throughout the year to see where we might need to help. But we're certainly looking at the government of Iraq to pick up more of the burden of the displaced in the country.

What areas are your main focus in Iraq and Kurdistan Region? Do you have additional budget for Iraqi Kurdistan? You know that the Kurdistan Regional Government, it's a separate government and there have millions of IDPs and refugees, refugees from Syria and IDPs from different parts of Iraq. They've been displaced by ISIS. So, do you have additional budget for these areas?

Andrew: We'll certainly be continuing to work in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to address the issues that remain there. But we don't necessarily allocate our assistance by region. We try to go where the programs take us and where the need is greatest. So we're certainly, as you've noted, there are continuing and ongoing needs in Kurdistan and we expect to be working with the regional government in Kurdistan to continue to address those needs.

I've learned that you have a program with the Kurdistan Regional Government to strengthen governance and also public financial management. And you worked to reveal the ghost employees in Kurdistan. What have you achieved so far In this program? And are you still kee assisting the Kurdistan Regional Government?

Andrew: Yes, we will continue with some of the work that you've mentioned on public financial management, including working with the accounting and financial control units within the government to improve their processes and reporting on budget allocations and expenditures. We also will keep tabs on some of the successes that we've had. As you've mentioned, we helped install that biometric payroll system to
digitalize identification of employees and for payroll so that we've we've made substantial gains in and we believe helped save the Kurdistan
Regional Government substantial amounts of money through the elimination of ghost workers and duplicate payments, which might have been taking place before, before this system was improved, digitized to eliminate those weaknesses.

Are you still working on that program, this system to reveal the ghost employees? Do you think that there are still ghost employees in the region that you should reveal it and eradicate it from the system?

Andrew: Well, we we've wrapped up that aspect of the program, but we certainly think that that's been a tremendous success and has saved the
government millions on address those types of issues. Now it's within their hands to see what more they need to do to address any remaining issues. But there have been enormous strides made, I think, as you've already reported.

You know, in Iraq, one of the biggest problems in Iraq is corruption. And you from USAID, you have a program for tackling corruption and helping those countries who are facing the corruption and eradicating corruption? How do you deal with corruption in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq?

Andrew: Um, I'm glad you mentioned I mean, it's, you know, corruption is a global issue and this administration has made it an elevated anti-corruption as a development priority. Last month, administrator Samantha Power, she announced the unveiling of USAID's new anti-corruption policy during the International Anti-Corruption Conference, which took place here in Washington DC. So we're hoping through this policy it will help us both globally and in the work we're doing in Iraq through coalition building and reducing risks and trying to eliminate opportunities for graft. And I think in terms of what we're doing specifically in Iraq, as as some of the the results that we've discussed indicate, a lot of it is focused on improving processes and making things more transparent so that citizens can see what's happening in their government through the help of civil society, but also just improving government procedures to eliminate opportunities for graft. One of the other, I guess big success stories I would mention is I think it's the the portal that we established in the Kurdistan Regional Government. I think in Kurdish you call it 'Xizmet' where it enables 422 different government services to be accessed online, everything from licensing to paying taxes. So by digitalizing these things, these services, it eliminates opportunities for graft and gives the citizens of Kurdistan more direct access to get their services from the government more quickly than they otherwise would have had to if they had to go to an office and deal with individuals to pay their taxes, get their licenses or their permits.

We know that corruption is something in Iraq. No one can deny it. And you are spending more than a million US Dollars in Iraq through different programs. Do you have any concern about your money being used in a corrupted way when you give it to some local organization and when you are working with the government?

Andrew: I mean, I think part of even it's mentioned in our policy, we are very careful about our due diligence in terms of where we put our aid dollars. So the organizations that we work with, they are looked at very carefully, that they are capable and trusted, managed in an
appropriate way, such that when we put money through those organizations, that they're going to use that money to accomplish the
goals with which we have agreed with to them. So we always have concerns when we're operating overseas with aid dollars, but through the
work and the trusted partners that we do and the due diligence that we do with them, we feel confident that we are working through the kinds of people who we can trust to accomplish our work and safeguard our funds.

How do you see the intention when it comes to corruption and transparency? Are they willing to work with you just to be more transparent and to work anti-corruption?

Andrew: Yeah, I think our partners in Iraq and in the Kurdistan region, you know, they wouldn't be working with us if they didn't seek to achieve the same things. And we're actually there to help them achieve better outcomes, better public service delivery, and part of that is eliminating issues and issues like corruption and graft through some of the interventions that we've done through digitizing services. So there are less middlemen and opportunities for things to go wrong, to look more carefully at who's receiving money and just to make government work more efficiently.

You have some programs for the young entrepreneurs, especially in Kurdistan Region and in Mosul. Then if you'd just tell us more information about these programs, do you have any specific funds for the young entrepreneurs who are just rising from the debris of Mosul and also some other disputed areas like Kirkuk? And we know that there are a lot of young people want to just do their business, but they want someone to take their hands and help them. What programs and funds do you have for the young entrepreneurs in Kurdistan Region and also in disputed areas?

Andrew: Well, in the Kurdistan region and particularly in and around Dohuk, I know we've done a lot with entrepreneurs in the agricultural
sector and that industry too, because it's it's a large area. We have got partnerships with universities there to improve agricultural learning and methods and hopefully, through this kind of training with entrepreneurs, it will improve agricultural practices and make them more able to achieve the kinds of returns that they do on the business that they started up, particularly in the agricultural industry and trading. There are goods in getting higher profits and better yields on their business.

I know, a large portion of what you are doing in Iraq and Kurdistan Region is humanitarian work. Do you think Iraq and Kurdistan Region will get rid of the IDPs and refugees in the coming years? Or, there are still concerns that people can not go back to their places and homes? What will the USAID is doing to help people to go back to their areas, especially Mosul?

Andrew: Yeah. Certainly, the IDPs situation in northern Iraq is longstanding, and it is a challenge and a lot of the displaced that are in the Kurdistan Region are fearful of returning to their homes whether it is in Nineveh or in Sinjar, largely because of the security situation and the slowness with regards the implementation of the Sinjar agreement, so we're certainly working with our state counterparts to encourage the government to do more, the government in Baghdad to do more towards implementation of the Sinjar agreement, and to improve the security situation, which might enable more of the displaced in Kurdistan to return to their homes, but those returns must be in safe and voluntary and with dignity. Otherwise you know, it's quite understandable that they will stay where they are to remain safe with their families.

Do you have any hope that the Singer agreement will be implemented? Because many people and political parties in Iraq and
Kurdistan, they do not believe in it. Also, some people in Sinjar are saying that: Because not all of the entities and also elements in Sinjar are not part of the agreement, so they do not have any hopes to be implemented; You as the USAID, how do you work with the Iraqi Government and Kurdistan Regional Government to implement the agreement so that the Yezidi people from the camps, they have a very bad situation now it is winter, could go back to their homes?

Andrew: Well, it certainly has been a difficult road towards moving towards implementation of the Sinjar agreement. We USAID is working in
the background, it's really our diplomatic team at the embassy that is trying to work with the Government of Iraq towards its implementation,
and to encourage movement on all the areas where there is difficulties and stuck. Obviously it impacts the kind of assistance that's needed for
those who were in need, both in the region, those who have returned and were looking for improved government services as well as  the displaced who might be looking to return, but don't feel safe towards it. So the Sinjar agreement, it is a political endeavor that our diplomats are
working on to encourage to move forward and we from USAID are speaking in favor of that, but we're really trying to look at the needs of those who are impacted by the fact that things are stuck where they are and trying to address the needs of where we can of those who have
are looking for better services who have returned to the region and as well as the displaced remains in Kurdistan and areas in Nineveh in the camps.

It is the beginning of the New Year and what are you looking for to get and achieve in Iraq by the end of 2023?

Andrew: We certainly would like to see our efforts in the governance field continue to advance in terms of improving
the decentralization of the government, better decision-making at the regional levels, as well as economic growth. I mean in order to improve
the economy, there needs to be economic growth to create jobs and create more opportunities for people in Iraq to attract investment. So, that's a big focus of what we like, wanting to do. We are also hoping to maybe help more with the government to address the impacts of climate change because that of course will also impact investment and the living standards of the people, because it is a troubled region with water
scarcity issues everywhere, and for a country that needs improved agriculture and public service for its people, climate changes is hanging over all of us.

Do you plan to visit Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2023, and what announcement do you have for people who live in Iraq and Kurdistan Region as well as those who are watching this interview?

Andrew: Well, I certainly hope too. I'm intending to get to the region, get to Iraq and the Kurdistan region sometime in the next six months. I don't have anything to announce at this time, but if I get out there and we have more information from our Congress on our levels, I hope to have, to be able to talk about some of the new things we might be doing once we have greater clarity on the budget situation.

Thank you so much Andrew for accepting our invitation and being here at Rudaw.

Andrew: Thank you Diyar, it is been a pleasure.

• SHARE ON
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Whatsapp
• Share on Telegram
• Share on Viber
• Share on Messenger