Located in the most unstable region on the planet, in the Middle East, Iraq is a country marked by its involvement in several armed conflicts. Over the past 30 years, the country has been involved in three wars, a fact that has had disastrous consequences for the nation's economic and social development.
In August 1990, then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Kuwaiti territory. This attitude was challenged by the United Nations (UN), which decreed a trade embargo on Iraq. In January 1991, the United States, along with the military of 29 other countries, carried out a bombing of Iraq, intensifying the Gulf War. This conflict caused the death of 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and 7,000 Iraqi civilians, as well as the destruction of the national infrastructure.
The embargoes, in addition to the low production of foodstuffs and medicines, caused a major social crisis in the country. In order to reverse this situation, the UN Security Council created, in 1995, the Oil for Food Program. This initiative allowed Iraq to sell its oil to other countries, however, part of the financial resources obtained by the commercialization of the product should be used to pay indemnities to Kuwait and to reimburse the UN's expenses with the forces of coalition. Only the third part would be for the purchase of food, medicine and other utensils necessary to meet the basic survival needs of the Iraqis.
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At first, the Iraqi government denied the implementation of the Oil for Food Program. However, the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq was signed in May 1996 and the program was implemented in December of the same year. The first food shipments arrived in March 1997.
Several UN officials have been accused of corruption as millions of dollars of Oil for Food were siphoned off into the accounts of former Iraqi officials. The program's activities ended in 2003.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Fuels - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira e. "Oil for Food"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/petroleo-alimentos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
