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Provincial Reconstruction Teams

Provincial Reconstruction Teams Fact Sheet

September 15, 2009

  • Established in November 2005, the Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) initiative is a civilian-led inter-agency effort that provides the primary connection between U.S. and coalition partners and provincial and local governments in all of Iraq's 18 provinces.
  • The core PRT mission is to promote 'stability and development' at the provincial level consistent with President Obama's objectives of supporting a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq that is integrated into the global economy.  The teams focus on five functional areas: governance, economics, national unity, political development and rule of law.
  • Key priorities for PRTs include:
    1. Assisting Iraqis strengthen the capacity of government institutions and civil society in order to: develop a transparent and accountable governance; promote rule of law; confront corruption; deliver essential public services; encourage foreign investment and economic diversification; promote stability and political development.
    2. Facilitating mediation of ethnic tensions.
    3. Serving as a platform to enable the UN, NDI, IRI, NGOs serving the needs of women and election support, and other USG and international actors.
    4. Supporting Iraqi National Unity.
    5. Reporting on key developments.

  • PRTs assist provincial and local governments through a range of capacity building efforts to include regular engagements, technical assistance, training programs and small grant programs.
  • The teams are an important tool in achieving stability in Iraq by bolstering moderates, promoting reconciliation, fostering economic development and building provincial capacity.
  • There are currently 23 PRTs, including seven "embedded" PRTs  (ePRTs) that were created as part of military and civilian 'surge' of  2007.   Embedded teams work hand-in-glove with military units at the brigade level.
  • The combined staff, civilian and military, has reached over 800 personnel throughout Iraq.  Teams are staffed from multiple agencies including the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Defense civil affairs units, coalition partners, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, contracted Subject Matter Experts (SME) and locally engaged staff.
  • Resources utilized by PRTs come from a variety of sources.  Large-scale projects associated with PRTs are funded through PRDC (Provincial Reconstruction and Development Committee) funds, while smaller grants are funded through the QRF (Quick Response Fund) program.  Additional program resources that complement PRTs' core work include the following USAID-funded programs: CSP (Community Stabilization Program), http://www.ird.org/what/programs/csp.html ; the LGP (Local Governance Program), http://www.lgp-iraq.org/ ; CAP (Community Action Program), http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/cap.html ; Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program, http://www.tijara-iraq.com/ ; Tatweer Capacity Development in Public Administration, http://www.tatweer-iraq.com/index.cfm?webapp=sub&pg_id=42  , and INMA Agri-business Program, https://www.inma-iraq.com/ .