Social assistance in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is a complex mix of government-led social protection, declining levels of humanitarian aid, and local (often ad hoc) community-based initiatives. This paper examines the accountability of this mix of assistance from the perspectives of frontline providers – that is, the people working at local levels to provide that assistance. By exploring their experiences and viewpoints, we aim to shed light on the operational challenges, motivations, and systemic issues that influence the effectiveness and integrity of social assistance in this region.
Since 2015, government-led social assistance programmes in the KRI have been largely inactive, other than the continuation of the large-scale Public Distribution System (PDS), leading to a reliance on local organizations and international actors to fill the void. However, international humanitarian aid has also been declining in recent years.
Through analysis of frontline providers’ experiences, the paper identifies significant gaps between social protection policies and actual practice in social assistance. There is a great deal of emphasis on social protection reform in Iraq led by the government and supported by international institutions, though currently there is less traction in the KRI due to funding blockages from central Iraq and government reluctance to integrate refugee caseloads. This has led to the emergence of parallel systems where locally led efforts coexist – often uneasily and with little coordination – alongside internationally driven aid programmes. A lack of trust between actors, limited coordination, and a lack of participation in decision-making by local actors are undermining the accountability of social assistance.