Embassy News
PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAMS
2007 PRT Information
PRTs Close Year in Iraq with Record of Achievement
December 31, 2007
Baghdad – Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) closed out 2007 with a record of success helping Iraqis rebuild a war-shattered economy while stabilizing their communities thanks, to increased security spurred by the military surge ordered by President Bush earlier in the year.
From urchin diving to nation building
December 25, 2007
Seven years ago, Kevin Crisp was diving for sea urchins, working as a commercial fisherman out of the Santa Barbara Harbor.
A few weeks ago, he was in the Muthanna province of Iraq, meeting with tribal leaders and working on a three-year plan with the local Iraqi government.
December 21, 2007
Paul O'Friel has simple advice for his Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Team: "Eat the goat, drink the tea," he says. It's O'Friel's way of instilling in his team members the importance of engaging with the local leaders and people in an area of Iraq pulverized not by IEDs, but by poverty and thirst.
Civilian, Military Cooperation Top Priority for PRTs
December 20, 2007
Tallil, Air Base -- It’s hard to imagine more rugged living conditions in Iraq than those found on a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) -- The State Department-led outposts scattered throughout Iraq’s 18 provinces. Yet U.S. civilian volunteers and troops are sharing those hardships and cooperating to help reconstruct and stabilize Iraq’s southern-most province.
Rice Pays Surprise Visit to Iraq, Highlights Rebuilding Partnerships
December 18, 2007
Baghdad – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a surprise one-day visit to Iraq December 18, first meeting with members of a U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to discuss its rebuilding and stabilization efforts before traveling on to meet with top officials in the capital.
Iraq’s Schoolchildren Get Computers with U.S. Help
December 17, 2007
Tallil, Iraq. The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna Province has joined forces with an American non-profit organization, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), to provide more than 200 laptop computers to schoolchildren. The first batch of laptops should arrive in Iraq in early 2008 and be distributed shortly thereafter.
PRT Program Helps Iraqis Fund Development Projects
December 10, 2007
Baghdad – Leveraging Iraq’s ability to use its own resources to fund development projects is increasingly becoming the focus of U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) operating in all of the nation’s 18 provinces.
Multinational Effort Brings State of the Art Medical Training to Iraq
December 4, 2007
Dhi Qar, Iraq - Months of combined effort culminated November 26 in the successful delivery of a multi-million dollar Mobile Surgical Unit (MSU) to Dhi Qar Province donated by the people of Italy highlighting the multinational cooperation underlying reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
Rule of Law Gets Boost in Iraq through University Exchange Program
December 4, 2007
Baghdad – The bedrock of all modern societies – the rule of law – got a boost in Iraq recently with the signing of an exchange agreement between the University Of Baltimore Law School and the University Of Tikrit Law School spurred by a U.S. legal adviser working on a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Salah ad Din Province.
Volunteerism Motivates Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq
December 3, 2007
Baghdad -- Volunteerism is the spark animating Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) partnering with communities in Iraq to further democracy, instill self-sufficiency and help rebuild an economy ravaged by years of dictatorship and sectarian strife.