VOA常速英语:International Donors Pledge Support for Iraq(翻译)

More than 2 billion dollars in new money was raised for the people of Iraq at a recent donors' conference jointly hosted by Canada, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, and the United States. The funds will go towards alleviating the suffering, deprivation, and devastation inflicted on the Iraqi people by ISIL.

In order to address the grave conditions faced by those displaced in Iraq, the international community has committed to providing desperately needed humanitarian aid including food, water, and shelter, as well as stabilization programming to help create the conditions that permit displaced families to return home to liberated areas in safety and in dignity.

The conference garnered more than $590 million for humanitarian assistance in support of Iraq, through bilateral and multilateral channels. This humanitarian assistance will support the needs identified in the 2016 UN Humanitarian Response Plan, in addition to other organizations providing aid in Iraq. Through these organizations, the international community has provided resources for assistance to every governorate in Iraq, helping people who need it most.

Donors also pledged more than $350 million to support stabilization efforts. Pledges for United Nations Development Plan's Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization totaled $125 million, a significant advance towards meeting the $180 million the UN requires in 2017 to support rapid restoration of power, water, and other essential services in areas liberated from ISIL control.

Over $80 million in new pledges for demining efforts in Iraq were secured. This will provide approximately three-quarters of the total amount of funding the United Nations estimates is required for one year of demining activities in Iraq.

The United States was the first major donor at 50 million dollars, to pledge funding to the new United Nations Development Program Funding Facility for Expanded Stabilization. This facility will support activities that will restore critical public services and create jobs in Ninewah, Salah al-Din, Diyala, and Anbar provinces. The United Nations estimates that teaching colleges, hospitals, and universities eligible for these funds will be able to employ an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 people in each of the areas previously devastated by ISIL.

The United States believes long-term stability in Iraq can only be achieved by ensuring that its people are able to return to their homes safely, with access to basic services, healthcare, and education, and hope for economic prosperity.