Reporting period 26/05/16 to 23/06/16

Due to escalating violence in Fallujah, a large number of civilians are fleeing the city and need urgent humanitarian aid and support. The ETC Coordinator participated in a joint UN security assessment mission to Ameriyat al Fallujah Compound where he assessed the need for ETC services. In his report, the coordinator detailed the ETC services required. If approved, the ETC will provide a very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT), Very High Frequency (VHF) radios, analogue and digital security telecommunications services for UN agencies and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). Ameriyat Al Fallujah would be the first UN operational hub in Anbar.

The ETC is finalising the testing of equipment needed to launch the three-month Communicating with Communities (CwC) pilot project to provide Internet connectivity to communities in UNFPA Youth Centre and IRC library, Domiz camp. This also involves testing a voucher solution to monitor the number of people who access the internet. Inter-agency letters have been signed by the ETC, UNFPA and IRC to ensure that the responsibilities of each party are clearly outlined. This project is part of the ETC strategy to ensure that, by 2020, all those responding to humanitarian emergencies have access to communications.