text:
Oil-for-Food Program
On November 20, 2003, the U.S. Department of State announced that the United Nations had transferred the Oil-for-Food Program to the Coalition Provisional Authority and Iraqi officials.[1]
The United Nations Office of the Iraq Programme provides the following information on the Oil-for-Food Program[[2]:
"In August 1990 the Security Council adopted resolution 661, imposing comprehensive sanctions on Iraq following that country's invasion of Kuwait. In the immediate aftermath of the Gulf War in 1991, the Secretary-General dispatched an inter-agency mission to assess the humanitarian needs arising in Iraq and Kuwait. The mission visited Iraq from 10 to 17 March 1991 and reported that 'the Iraqi people may soon face a further imminent catastrophe, which could include epidemic and famine, if massive life-supporting needs are not rapidly met.' (S/22366, para. 37). Throughout 1991, with growing concern over the humanitarian situation in the country, the United Nations proposed measures to enable Iraq to sell limited quantities of oil to meet its people's needs. The Government of Iraq declined these offers, contained in particular, in resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991), adopted, respectively, in August and September 1991.[3]
"Resolution 986: On 14 April 1995, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council adopted resolution 986, establishing the "oil-for-food" programme, providing Iraq with another opportunity to sell oil to finance the purchase of humanitarian goods, and various mandated United Nations activities concerning Iraq. The programme, as established by the Security Council, is intended to be a 'temporary measure to provide for the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, until the fulfillment by Iraq of the relevant Security Council resolutions, including notably resolution 687 (1991) of 3 April 1991'.
"Agreement: Although established in April 1995, the implementation of the programme started only in December 1996, after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq on 20 May 1996 (S/1996/356). The first Iraqi oil under the Oil-for-Food Programme was exported in December 1996 and the first shipments of food arrived in March 1997.
"Funding: Until 20 March 2003, when war intervened and oil exports under the programme ended, the Oil-for-Food Programme was funded exclusively from the proceeds of Iraqi oil exports, authorised by the Security Council.
"In the initial stages of the programme, Iraq was permitted to sell $2 billion worth of oil every six months, with two-thirds of that amount to be used to meet Iraq's humanitarian needs. In 1998, the limit on the level of Iraqi oil exports under the programme was raised to $5.26 billion every six months, again with two-thirds of the oil proceeds earmarked to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people. In December 1999, the ceiling on Iraqi oil exports under the programme was removed by the Security Council.
"Seventy two per cent of Iraqi oil export proceeds funded the humanitarian programme, of which 59% was earmarked for the contracting of supplies and equipment by the Government of Iraq for the 15 central and southern governorates and 13% for the three northern governorates, where the United Nations implemented the programme on behalf of the Government of Iraq. The balance included 25% for a Compensation Fund for war reparation payments; 2.2% for United Nations administrative and operational costs; and 0.8% for the weapons inspection programme.
"Management: The Office of the Iraq Programme is headed by the Executive Director who is responsible for the overall management and coordination of all United Nations humanitarian activities in Iraq under resolutions 661 (1990) and 986 (1995) and the procedures established by the Security Council and its Committee set up by resolution 661 (1990), as well as the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq (May 1996).
"Mandate: The Office of the Iraq Programme administers the programme as an operation separate and distinct from all other United Nations activities within the context of the sanctions regime, which fall within the purview of UNMOVIC, IAEA and the United Nations Compensation Commission.
"Coordination: The Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (UNOHCI) is an integral part of the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP). The Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq reports directly to the Executive Director of OIP, and is responsible for the management and implementation of the programme in the field.
"Implementation: There are nine United Nations agencies and organizations involved in the programme. They are: FAO, UNESCO, WHO, ITU, UNICEF, UNDP, WFP, UNOPS, UN-Habitat."
"Pre-War and Post-War Developments (2003): On 17 March 2003, the United Nations Secretary-General announced that in view of warnings received from the Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States, regarding the prospect of war and the continued safety and security of UN personnel present in the territory of Iraq, he was no longer in a position to guarantee their safety and security. All remaining UN international staff in Iraq were evacuated on 18 March 2003 and the President of the Security Council asked the Secretary General to submit proposals to adjust the mandate of the Oil-for-Food Programme so that it would have flexibility to meet new humanitarian challenges presented by the prospect of war in Iraq.
"On 19 March 2003, the war in Iraq began with the bombing of Baghdad and on 20 March 2003, the Secretary General pledged to do his utmost to ensure that the UN rose to the challenge of shielding the civilian population 'from the grim consequences of war.'
"A resolution (1472) was adopted unanimously by the Security Council on 28 March 2003 adjusting the Oil-for-Food Programme and giving the Secretary-General authority to facilitate the delivery and receipt of goods contracted by the Government of Iraq for the humanitarian needs of its people. On 24 April 2003 those provisions were extended to 3 June. The extension under resolution 1476,(2003) gave the Office of the Iraq Programme and UN agencies, valuable time to identify and ship additional goods and supplies.
"The Security Council lifted civilian sanctions on Iraq on 22 May with the adoption of resolution 1483 (2003). The resolution also gave the Secretary-General authority to appoint a Special Representative to work with the occupying forces in rebuilding Iraq; opened the way for the resumption of oil exports, with revenues deposited in a Development Fund for Iraq held by the Central Bank; and provided for the termination of the Oil-for-Food Programme within six months, transferring responsibility for the administration of any remaining Programme activities to 'the Authority' representing the occupying powers. The Council has called on the United Nations to assist the Iraqi people, in coordination with 'the Authority', in a wide range of areas, including humanitarian relief, reconstruction, infrastructure rehabilitation, legal and judicial reforms, human rights and the return of refugees, and also to assist with civilian police.
"In its "phasedown" prior to closure on 21 November 2003, the Office of the Iraq Programme, in coordination with UN agencies and programmes and the Authority representing the occupying powers, has continued to identify and ship approved and funded priority items in a pipeline of humanitarian goods and supplies valued at some $10 billion. As of 23 September 2003, consultations between the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraqi experts and the United Nations, had resulted in the prioritization of 3,268 contracts valued at $6.37 billion. (Updated 23 September 2003)"
Please see United Nations Oil-for-Food "Background" for additional document links.
SourceWatch Resources
ALI Capital Partners
Coalition Provisional Authority
Development Fund for Iraq
Future of Iraq Project
Iraqi Governing Council
occupation watch
Patrick Maugein
Post-war Iraq
United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission
UNscam
Oil-for-Food Contract Release List - June 1, 2001, U.S. Department of State.
Oil-for-Food Program, U.S. Department of State Fact Sheet, December 20, 2002.
Retrieved from "https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Oil-for-Food_Program&oldid=337491"


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Asus unveiled a brand new lineup of laptops at IFA in late 2018, showcasing three new fashions within the premium ZenBook collection. Whereas the ZenBook vary has all the time targeted on modern design and highly effective hardware, this new era of laptops has managed to take Asus' aspirations to a special degree altogether. Sturdy military-grade metallic our bodies, impressively small profiles, highly effective eighth Gen Intel processors, and lovely shows with very slender bezels are among the many traits that make these new ZenBooks really stand out.
The brand new up to date ZenBook 13, ZenBook 14 and ZenBook 15 fashions pleasantly stunned us on the hands-on occasion with their elegant design, very moveable type elements, and highly effective hardware. At this time, We've the Asus ZenBook 15 UX533F, the most important and strongest of the three, in for assessment. It goes up towards venerable opponents just like the Dell XPS 15, Apple MacBook Professional, HP Spectre x360 and Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 2, to call a number of.
There's a lot to love concerning the new Asus ZenBook 15 UX533F, from its refined design to highly effective hardware. However is the brand new Asus providing well worth the hype, and extra importantly, the premium worth? Let's delve into the evaluation and discover out.
The Asus ZenBook 15 UX533F's design can greatest be described as sleek and trendy. The brand new Asus providing inherits its predecessors' ZenBook DNA with sharp edges and a signature brushed metallic end with concentric circles, however on the similar time, it additionally introduces a couple of aesthetic tweaks of its personal giving it a definite id.
For instance, the floor end on the lid is significantly smoother with much less lustre to it than we've seen earlier than. Your complete physique has a matte end, which provides it an understated look. Asus is providing the ZenBook 15 UX533F in Icicle Silver and Royal Blue, and we expect the latter choice seems extra premium.
The ASUS ZenBook emblem has been moved from proper under the display to the primary physique above the keyboard, which helps create a minimalist look. However the ZenBook 15 UX533F isn't just a few stylish look; it boasts of a MIL-STD 810G-certified physique which suggests it ought to have the ability to perform in harsh climate circumstances. This additionally gives some hope that this premium laptop computer is sturdy too.
Fortunately, Asus has not gone for garish gold accents right here, a design selection that did not impress us with the ZenBook UX580GE and the ZenBook three UX390UA. Asus is seemingly not completed with flashy parts utterly, although. There's a rose gold strip above the keyboard, and an identical shade has been used on the keyboard keycaps. The distinction with the Royal Blue physique stands out, and a few individuals may discover this very engaging. The stickers, nevertheless, spoil the look to a small extent.
Now let's speak about the very first thing that may impress customers once they energy on the system — the show. The ZenBook 15 UX533F flaunts a 15.6-inch show with very slim bezels on all sides — 'Nano-Edge' in Asus' phrases. The aspect borders are simply 3mm skinny, whereas the highest and backside ones measure 6.4mm and Four.5mm respectively. This has helped Asus cram a 15-inch panel right into a physique the dimensions of a standard 14-inch laptop computer, and the impact is beautiful. One good factor is that the webcam continues to be situated above the show, in contrast to its awkward placement on the backside as we've seen with another laptops corresponding to Dell's common XPS collection.
The hinge provides simply the correct quantity of resistance and tilts all the best way again to 141 levels, which suggests customers can modify the show angle to their liking. Furthermore, pushing the lid again additionally raises the decrease half of this laptop computer by as much as three levels; an ergonomic adjustment that definitely helps whereas typing. Asus additionally claims that elevating the bottom of this laptop computer off a flat floor helps enhance the audio high quality of the audio system in addition to cooling.
Speaking concerning the keyboard, there's a devoted quantity pad, which is all the time a very good factor to have at one's disposal, though it means there's no want for the LED-illuminated quantity pad constructed into the trackpad of the smaller ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 fashions launched alongside the ZenBook 15 UX533F.
The keys supply 1.4mm of journey and there's a respectable quantity of area between them, making for a cushty typing expertise. The location and the smallish dimensions of the path keys may pose some points whereas typing, and so may the awkward placement of the + (Plus), – (Minus), and the second "Enter" key on the quantity pad. General, although, typing on the ZenBook 15 UX533F's keyboard was snug and straightforward, with simply the correct quantity of resistance required to register enter.
Asus has launched a neat function with the ZenBook 15 UX533F — on most laptops, customers need to concurrently press the Fn key with one of many perform keys to activate a shortcut, however on the ZenBook 15 UX533F, you'll be able to first faucet the Fn key after which press another key between F1 and F12.
The trackpad is spacious sufficient and its monitoring is sweet too. Because of the help for Home windows Precision drivers, multi-finger gestures work simply high quality.
A noteworthy disadvantage, which might be a serious purple flag for potential consumers, is that the keyboard deck and palmrest space flex simply on the appliance of a small quantity of strain. The flex is especially noticeable within the centre of the keyboard, which doesn't bode nicely for a premium laptop computer. A minimum of the physique doesn't creak. As for the lid, it does bend somewhat, particularly when strain is utilized to the centre.
The lid edges, however, are fairly strong. However regardless of the slight flex exhibited by the lid, the show doesn't warp and there's no distortion in color of the on-screen content material. What we famous is that the ZenBook 15 UX533F might be carried in a backpack with a couple of books with out having to fret an excessive amount of concerning the load probably inflicting any injury to the laptop computer. Nevertheless, it might be a greater concept to maintain the laptop computer coated in a sleeve to keep away from any scratches on the metallic physique.
There isn't any fingerprint sensor for authentication, however the onboard facial recognition system serves for Home windows Good day sign up duties. The 3D IR sensor recognises faces in well-lit circumstances, nevertheless it takes a bit longer than a fingerprint sensor would. Additionally, in dim or darkish rooms, the IR sensor is just not very dependable.
The general profile of the ZenBook 15 UX533F is sort of small for a laptop computer that packs a 15.6-inch show, and the uniform weight distribution makes it straightforward to deal with too. Asus claims that the ZenBook 15 UX533F is the smallest 15-inch laptop computer on the market. It ideas the scales at simply 1.67 kg and measures 35.4cm x 22cm x 1.79 cm. As compared, the brand new Dell XPS 15, which additionally options impressively skinny bezels, continues to be heavier and bigger than the Asus ZenBook 15 UX533F. The brand new Asus providing is a breeze to hold round and gained't really feel too heavy in a backpack.
In pursuit of making a glossy ultrabook, Asus has fortunately not sacrificed ports and connectivity. The ZenBook 15 UX533F comes outfitted with a USB three.1 Gen 2 Sort-C port, two USB three.1 Sort-A ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and a three.5mm jack.
Wi-fi connectivity is dealt with by Bluetooth 5 and Gigabit-class dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac. Asus says its proprietary Wi-Fi Grasp know-how provides a peak obtain velocity of round 1.7Gbps. Asus has finished a commendable job of equipping this gadget with numerous ports, particularly at a time when PC-makers are eschewing ports on high-end machines just like the MacBook Professional.
All in all, Asus has crafted an attractive laptop computer that's elegant and impressively moveable. Have been it not for the flex in its keyboard deck and the lid, the ZenBook 15 UX533F might have been ranked among the many best-built ultrabooks on the market. Asus ships a protecting sleeve with the ZenBook 15 UX533F, which seems to be product of high-quality materials and has a minimalist design.
The Asus ZenBook 15 UX533F is obtainable in a single configuration in India on the time of its launch. It's powered by an eighth Gen quad-core Intel Core i7-8565U processor (based mostly on the Whiskey Lake structure) with a base velocity of 1.eight GHz and a turbo frequency of as much as Four.6 GHz. That is paired with 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM (2400 MHz) and a 1TB PCIe SSD which is claimed to be among the many quickest in its class.
Within the graphics division, you get an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU utilizing Nvidia's Max-Q design optimisations, with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM. The ZenBook 15 UX533F comes outfitted with a 73Wh Four-cell Lithium-polymer battery and ships with a 90W energy adapter. All this hardware comes at a steep worth of Rs. 1,39,990.
A fast take a look at Asus' official web site means that the corporate additionally provides lower-end variants in some markets with the eighth Gen Intel Core i5-8265U processor, 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 256/ 512 GB PCIe SSD. The corporate has not confirmed whether or not these choices shall be provided in India sooner or later.
The GPU might sound comparatively underpowered for a laptop computer at this worth, however it's a lot higher than the built-in Intel GPUs you get with most laptops this skinny and lightweight. For that worth level, you will get an honest gaming laptop computer with a beefier processor and higher graphics, however that may imply sacrificing the ZenBook 15 UX533F's portability.
Home windows 10 Professional handles issues on the software program aspect. Asus ships this premium laptop computer with a few of its personal apps akin to Asus Battery Well being Charging for energy administration and Asus Splendid for a greater audio-visual expertise. The Asus Quiet Fan app enables you to increase the fan velocity manually to supply a efficiency increase throughout intensive duties at the price of fan noise although. A number of different apps are bundled as nicely, however most don't appear notably helpful.
Earlier than we begin discussing the ZenBook 15 UX533F's processing and graphics grunt, let's shed some mild on its audio and show high quality. The laptop computer's 15.6-inch show has a full-HD decision and 178-degree viewing angles. It's able to reproducing 72 % of the colors within the NTSC gamut.
The show renders good colors and provides good sharpness and distinction with enough brightness underneath indoor lighting. Watching 4K movies and enjoying video games at full-HD decision was pleasant on the gadget, however there are a number of downsides too.
The ZenBook 15 UX533F's show is sort of reflective and outside visibility is just not excellent. Utilizing the laptop computer outside in daylight wasn't very nice, even with the brightness cranked as much as the utmost. The display seemed dim and a tad uninteresting beneath direct daylight, however then, there are usually not many laptops on the market whose shows would fare considerably higher underneath the circumstances.
As for audio efficiency, the ZenBook 15 UX533F shone in some methods and faltered in others. The system options twin Harman Kardon-certified audio system backed by a dual-channel sensible amplifier with Asus' proprietary SonicMaster know-how. The ZenBook 15 UX533F's audio system supply a balanced audio profile with clear vocals, however that's solely when the quantity stays under 50-60 %. Cranking the quantity up past that degree creates very noticeable distortion. Additionally, whereas most songs and movies sound good, bass-heavy tracks and heavy motion scenes in movies or video games fell in need of our expectations and sounded tinny.
When it comes to processing efficiency, the ZenBook 15 UX533F did completely high-quality in our expertise. The Intel Core i7-8565U is a really succesful processor and dealt with a lot of the duties we threw at it with no hitch. In our time utilizing the gadget, we didn't come throughout any lags or stutters in on a regular basis utilization. Be it watching 4K movies or working with a number of background apps and a tonne of Chrome tabs open, there was barely an occasion when the ZenBook 15 UX533F proved to be sluggish.
Our artificial benchmark scores narrate the identical story of zippy efficiency, however graphics-intensive checks, particularly video games, left quite a bit to be desired. The ZenBook 15 UX533F scored three,955 in the usual PCMark 10 benchmark and put three,917 on the scoreboard with the PCMark 10 Prolonged check. As for Geekbench, the multi-core and single-core scores stood at 17,594 and 5,243 respectively. The only-core Cinebench R15 rating stood at 190 whereas the multi-core tally stood at 822 factors.
Relating to browser-based benchmarks, the ZenBook 15 UX533F scored 249 in WebXPRT three, and 656.1 in Basemark Net v3.zero. Furthermore, the system sailed by way of Blender's BMW27 rendering check in round 10 minutes and 25 seconds on common. We have been capable of compress a 1.3GB file utilizing 7zip in simply 59 seconds.
One other space through which the high-end Asus laptop computer shone was its super-fast storage. Asus claims that the ZenBook 15 UX533F's SSD provides the quickest sequential learn and write speeds in its phase, and we have been mighty impressed by its precise efficiency. Utilizing CrystalDiskMark, we recorded sequential learn and write speeds of 3467.8Mbps and 2294.0Mbps respectively.
Coming to the extra graphics-intensive aspect of benchmarking, the premium Asus laptop computer scored 1,695 within the 3DMark Time Spy check, Four,502 in Hearth Strike, and 538 in Hearth Strike Extremely. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU (Max-Q) isn't notably nicely suited to high-end gaming, so it wasn't shocking that the ZenBook 15 UX533F might solely handle a mean body fee of 26fps when utilizing the Excessive (default) graphics preset at full-HD decision in Far Cry 5. Decreasing the graphics preset to Medium on the similar decision barely upped the output to 29fps.
In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's in-built benchmark, the gadget averaged 28.2fps utilizing the Excessive graphics settings at 1920 x 1080. The ZenBook 15 UX533F fared a lot better in Metro: Final Mild Redux, reaching a mean body fee of 47.06fps at full-HD with the graphics cranked as much as the Very Excessive preset.
For sure, the ZenBook 15 UX533F is just not the perfect system for gaming if you'd like crystal clear visuals and buttery clean body charges in AAA video games, however it isn't focused at players. You'll have the ability to take pleasure in these video games at decrease high quality settings, and extra informal titles ought to run a lot better as properly.
Regardless of packing a dual-fan cooling system, the ZenBook 15 UX533F received fairly scorching throughout our checks. After as little as 30-45 minutes of gaming, the underside of the laptop computer received fairly scorching. Furthermore, the twin followers can get fairly loud when the system is put to even a reasonably intensive process.
Coming to battery life, the ZenBook 15 UX533F's 73Whr Li-polymer battery simply lasted by means of a day of primary productiveness duties that included typing a number of articles, wanting up info on-line, and watching a couple of movies on YouTube. By means of an entire work week, we obtained a mean of eight hours, 20 minutes of battery life with common utilization on the ZenBook 15 UX533F with the brightness set at 50 all through.
For those who play video games, or in case your every day work includes duties corresponding to graphics rendering, anticipate that common to dip considerably. The ZenBook 15 UX533F lasted 1 hour, 33 minutes within the artificial Battery Eater Professional check which simulates aggravating work. Asus claims that the ZenBook 15 UX533F will final for 17 hours per cost, and whereas that's significantly larger than the typical battery life we recorded, the numbers are nonetheless good.
The ZenBook 15 UX533F has so much working in its favour. A gorgeous design, portability, beautiful show, quick processor, and good battery life are all of the conditions of a succesful laptop computer within the premium phase. The ZenBook 15 UX533F presents all that, and apart from the considerably sub-par audio expertise, an annoyingly reflective show, and the flex, there's nothing a lot to dislike.
In truth, the ZenBook 15 UX533F is a wonderful premium laptop computer. It has the seems to impress any shopper who's out there for a modern computing machine, and also will satiate the wants of an influence consumer. The excessive asking worth may deter many potential consumers.
At Rs. 1,39,990, this high-end Asus laptop computer goes head-to-head with some very succesful units from established manufacturers together with Apple, HP, and Dell, all of which have cultivated excessive model worth and have earned belief from the audience. The ZenBook 15 UX533F is considerably of another choice, and convincing consumers to spend a lot is perhaps an uphill activity for Asus. Finally, it is going to be as much as clients to determine whether or not they need to take a leap of religion with what's clearly a superb machine.