As talks about the future of sanctions against Iraq quietly progress, Save the Children, the UK's leading international children's charity, met today with the Department for International Development (DfID) to present the findings of a new study into Kurdish livelihoods in Northern Iraq, and to urge the UK Government to consider the economic and humanitarian impact of any change to the sanctions regime.

The Save the Children UK study concludes that sanctions and the Oil for Food program have almost totally impoverished the population of Northern Iraq -- raising dependency levels to internationally unprecedented levels - and that the Government of Iraq is a major beneficiary of the Oil for Food program, as it manages food distribution. The organisation warned, however, that any scaling back of the Oil for Food program currently associated with sanctions could "send Kurds living in Northern Iraq over the edge into a humanitarian catastrophe."

According to the report, large sectors of the Kurdish population in Northern Iraq are dependent on relief rations for over 90 percent of their food -- with over half of the population living in poverty. Most have no household assets, and therefore nothing to fall back on in the event of a decrease in their food rations, as they were forced to sell their possessions in order to survive in the early 1990s.

"The irony is that while the Oil for Food program is what is keeping these people alive, it is also what put them in this situation to begin with," said Alastair Kirk, Save the Children UK's research officer based in Northern Iraq. "Any change to the Oil for Food program needs to be very well-thought through, as the current situation is a disaster waiting to happen."

"The conditions we witnessed in Northern Iraq are comparable to some of the worst we have ever seen - including in sub-Saharan Africa," said Gary Sawdon, a Save the Children food security advisor who has assisted in several humanitarian crises. "These people are in an incredibly vulnerable situation - any external 'shock', such as a internal or external conflict, price increases, drought, or other natural disaster - could spell tragedy."

While sharing their findings with DfID on Kurdish livelihoods, Save the Children UK also sought assurances from the Department that they will urgently consider conducting a full economic analysis of the situation in the whole of Iraq.

"As bad as the situation is for the Kurds, all indications are that after nearly 11 years of sanctions, Iraqis living in south and central Iraq are even worse off," said Kirk. "The fact is, sanctions - as they are currently being implemented - simply do not work. They have a disproportionate effect on those who are most vulnerable in Iraqi society - particularly children."

"We urge the UK government, in all of its bilateral dealings and particularly at the UN, to use its influence to help avoid the possibility of a deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq," Kirk. "Regardless of international politics, surely all can agree that the children of Iraq deserve no less than our utmost attention to their development and well-being. The international community, together with the Government of Iraq, shares the responsibility for ensuring that the Iraqi people cease to be the primary victims of the sanctions and Oil for Food programs."

Save the Children UK's recommendations are, amongst others, that: