ICRC Iraq: Facts and Figures 2024
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has published its "Facts and Figures 2o24" report.
Click here to download the full report in English.
Click here to download the full report in Arabic.
Click here to download the full report in Kurdish.
To browse our comprehensive library of reports on Iraq, click here.
(Source: ReliefWeb)
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Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan's fading footsteps: The last cobbler of Sabunkaran
Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah Each morning, before the market stirs to life, Saman Saeed unlocks the wooden door of his workshop in Sabunkaran (Sabun Karan), a historic open-air market known for its artisan stalls and traditional shops. The alleyways still carry the scent of leather, mingled with cigarette smoke and the murmur of old voices. Inside, among cracked stools and timeworn tools, he pulls up a chair, threads a needle, and begins stitching into silence. At 48, he is not just a cobbler. He is the last of them. Al-Sulaymaniyah, a major city in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, was once a hub for traditional trades and thrived as a marketplace where tailors, blacksmiths, and shoemakers practiced their crafts side by side. However, today, that rhythm has slowed. Saman is one of only two or three cobblers who remain: custodians of a fading profession. 'This market is my second home,' Saman told Shafaq News, his fingers resting on a coarse strip of leather. 'As a child, I sat beside my father and grandfather, watching them mend soles and stitch seams. The shop was always full. Customers waited in line. I thought the trade would be with me for life. But now, it's quietly disappearing.' Inside his shop, time feels paused: rusted iron clamps sit beside nylon thread and thick, curved needles; rolled hides lean against wooden shelves; and a battered radio whispers news in the background. His hands move with the precision of habit, measuring, cutting, folding, as if preserving muscle memory passed down through generations. 'People think a cobbler only repairs shoes,' he said, adjusting a worn apron. 'But we make wallets, belts, even custom cases for musical instruments. We resize shoes, reshape leather, fix what machines can't. We bring something back to life that someone else thought was finished.' Still, few customers wait for repairs now. Cheap, imported shoes from China and Turkiye dominate local markets; inexpensive, replaceable, and often not worth mending, and repair costs frequently rival the price of a new pair. Globalization and mass imports have reshaped consumer behavior across the Middle East, leaving traditional craftsmen increasingly sidelined. 'It's pride and sorrow,' Saman reflects. 'There were dozens of us in this market. Now, you can count us on one hand.' What he mourns is more than a trade. In Kurdish villages, the cobbler was once a trusted artisan, asked to design wedding shoes, craft a child's first pair, or restore a boot passed down through generations. 'We were like the blacksmith or the tailor,' he says. 'We were part of the fabric of the old market.' That fabric is now wearing thin, and the decline is not only economic but generational. Few young people are willing to commit years to mastering a craft viewed as labor-intensive and low-paying. Government support is minimal, and vocational institutes no longer teach traditional leatherwork. 'You can't learn this in a week,' he explains. 'It takes years of watching, trying, failing. You need patience. You need precision. Leather doesn't forgive mistakes. One wrong stitch and you lose the shoe, the customer, and your reputation.' Despite working twelve-hour days from nine in the morning until well after dusk, Saman often earns no more than 15,000 dinars (around $10) a day. Yet he keeps his shop open. 'It's my livelihood,' he says. 'But more than that, it's my dignity. My father died in this market. My grandfather built a life here. I won't let this door close on our name.' He asks for no applause, but he does call for help. 'I wish the government, the cultural institutions, someone… Anyone would step in to save what's left of this craft,' he pleads. 'We are part of the city's memory. If we disappear, a whole page of Kurdish history goes with us.' Outside his workshop, the alley moves on — young vendors sell factory-made shoes, and shoppers pass by without noticing the scent of raw leather fading behind a worn curtain. But inside, Saman keeps stitching… Quietly, patiently, holding together the final threads of a tradition few still see, and fewer remember.


Shafaq News
7 days ago
- Shafaq News
President Barzani hails BCF's 20 years of service
Shafaq News – Erbil On Monday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) on its 20th anniversary. According to the Kurdish Presidency, Barzani said, 'I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the foundation's leadership, administrators, and staff. I deeply value their dedication and the humanitarian and charitable services they have provided, and I wish them continued success.' He added that the foundation's work 'has set a remarkable example of compassion and philanthropy, embodying the highest human values and earning it broad respect and admiration.' — Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) August 4, 2025


Iraq Business
02-08-2025
- Iraq Business
Iraq: Photography Award 2025
By John Lee. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) have announced that applications are now open for their Photography Award. The annual contest, launched in 2021, aims to encourage Iraqi photographers to highlight humanitarian issues affecting local communities. This year, contestants are invited to explore the theme of agriculture. Click here for full information. (Source: ICRC)