From the Frontlines in Iraq, by Zaid Jurji

How We Built a Monitoring & Evaluation System That Passed a UN Security Council Audit

In 1993, almost 33 years ago, I joined UNICEF Iraq as a young professional responsible for the Water and Sanitation program. I stepped into a country devastated by the first Gulf War, where the economy was at its lowest point.

At that moment, UNICEF was undergoing a massive transformation. The office grew from a small technical office of fewer than 10 people into a full-fledged emergency operation managing millions of dollars and employing over 200 staff. I was lucky to get the job. I made a strong case for my motivation and suitability and was selected after a highly competitive process. But honestly, when I started, I had no clue what the UN or UNICEF mandate actually was. I only read the job title and thought my educational background seemed like a good fit.

I quickly learned that our program was a massive supply operation. We were procuring spare parts and equipment to partially repair Iraq’s devastated, but highly sophisticated, urban water systems. These weren't simple wells; they were complex systems involving treatment facilities, pumping, and distribution to millions of people.

The Problem No One Had Yet Solved - Donors who generously funded us always had a simple question: How was our money spent, and what did it achieve? They needed to report back to taxpayers. We were distributing supplies to project sites, but we lacked a proper system to track the rationale behind our decisions or the impact of the work.

I realized that sooner or later, we would need a logical framework to account for the needs and defend why we chose Project A over Project B.

The Solution: Building from Scratch - I started thinking about how we could capture data from the field in a structured way. Over about six months, I developed the initial architecture for two critical systems:
1. A Needs Database: We began collecting and categorizing field data so that, the moment funding was available, we could generate precise lists of required supplies.
2. An Impact Assessment System: Because supplies varied wildly in cost and functionality, we needed to systematically measure the impact of every piece of equipment on the broader system it served.

The Ultimate Test: The Oil-for-Food Programme - Three years into my role, discussions began regarding the infamous Oil-for-Food Programme. Iraq was allowed to sell oil under strict UN oversight, with funds held in an escrow account managed by the UN.

When the Iraqi water authorities began procuring supplies with these funds, I was ready. Using the database I had built, rooted in actual field data, I helped them compile their supply lists with confidence and precision.

Trust is the hardest currency to earn in international development, especially in a context as sensitive as Iraq during the sanctions era. I was representing a UN agency sent to assist, yet the country was simultaneously suffering under UN sanctions. Convincing local authorities to rely on our data required navigating a landscape of deep skepticism. It took time to demonstrate that our goal was purely cooperative. I’m proud to say that by the end of my tenure, we had built the confidence necessary for them to utilize our joint findings effectively.

But the real challenge was yet to come. With massive imports on the horizon, UNICEF was mandated to oversee the entire water and sanitation sector within this program. We faced a logistical nightmare: tracking contracts, navigating a UN Sanctions Committee for approvals, and monitoring shipments from ports of entry to central warehouses, then to sub-national warehouses, and finally to the facilities where they would be installed.

The Result: An "Exemplary" Tracking System  - With the help of a local programming company, I built a comprehensive tracking database to manage this entire lifecycle.

When experts from the UN Security Council and the UN Secretariat arrived to evaluate the program's impact, they reviewed our system. Their conclusion? They deemed the water and sanitation tracking facility “exemplary.”

It provided a transparent window into the movement of supplies, ensuring that monitoring was clear and, most importantly, that the Iraqi people were served equitably.

Reflecting on the Journey:  Looking back, I realize that my foundational skills; intuition, organization, and foresight, helped me get my foot in the door. But it was the ability to identify a gap in accountability and build the systems to fill it that defined my contribution.

In a complex operational environment, data isn't just about reporting; it's about integrity, fairness and equity. It is about defending the decisions that impact millions of lives.