 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2016) |
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| Abbreviation | OIP, OFFP |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1995 |
| Legal status | Dissolved in 2003 |
Head | Benon Sevan |
Parent organization | United Nations Secretariat |
| Website | www |
The Oil-for-Food Programme (OIP) was established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986)[1] to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to boost its military capabilities.
The programme was introduced by United States President Bill Clinton's administration in 1995,[2] as a response to arguments that ordinary Iraqi citizens were inordinately affected by the international economic sanctions aimed at the demilitarisation of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, imposed in the wake of the first Gulf War. The sanctions were discontinued on 21 November 2003 after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the humanitarian functions turned over to the Coalition Provisional Authority.[3]
The programme was de facto terminated in 2003 and de jure terminated in 2010. Although the sanctions were effective, there were revelations of widespread corruption in the programme and abuse of its funds.
- ^ United Nations Security Council Resolution 986. S/RES/986(1995) 14 April 1995. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- ^ Traub, James. "Off Target." New Republic 232.6 (21 February 2005): 14–17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 December 2011.
- ^ "UN Office of the Iraq Program – Oil-for-Food". United Nations. Retrieved 7 December 2011.