During the period July – November 2017, UN Environment undertook two rapid scoping missions in areas formerly occupied by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in northern and western Iraq, with a focus on the city of Mosul and its surrounding regions. This rapid review revealed the extensive environmental damage caused by the ISIL conflict, which was both severe and widespread. The review concluded that detailed contaminated site assessments need to be carried out for a selected number of priority sites.
As an initial step towards strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Health and Environment (MOHE) in addressing the pollution impacts of the ISIL conflict, the UN Environment’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch conducted a 3-day workshop in Baghdad to provide an overview of the international best practices on contaminated site assessments.
