Sunday, November 11, 2007
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction From SIGIR Observations
October 30, 2007 Quarterly Report to Congress
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction From SIGIR Observations
Although the overall security environment has improved recently, contractors, journalists, and Iraq’s citizens continue to live and work in an environment that is, in many places, still quite dangerous:
+ The Department of Labor (DoL) reported 72 new death claims this quarter for civilian contractors working on U.S.-funded projects in Iraq. Since Iraq reconstruction began, 1,073 death claims have been filed with the DoL. Reported deaths in this category were about 22% above the quarterly average.
+ DoS reported that three U.S. civilians died in Iraq this quarter. Since the beginning of the U.S. reconstruction effort, 235 U.S. civilian workers have died in Iraq. Non-military U.S. citizen deaths reported this quarter were 78% below the quarterly average.
+ This quarter, 2 journalists were killed in Iraq; 119 Iraqi and other journalists have been killed since March 2003, and 41 media support workers have been killed in Iraq since hostilities began, including 2 this quarter.
+ Violence continued to force Iraqis to migrate. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that one of every seven Iraqis has been displaced by the conflict in Iraq. The UNHCR noted that large numbers of Iraqis continue to flee the country, and admission into Syria and Jordan became subject to visa approval this quarter. Internal migration is also limited by provincial restrictions on admission of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Although the overall security environment has improved recently, contractors, journalists, and Iraq’s citizens continue to live and work in an environment that is, in many places, still quite dangerous:
+ The Department of Labor (DoL) reported 72 new death claims this quarter for civilian contractors working on U.S.-funded projects in Iraq. Since Iraq reconstruction began, 1,073 death claims have been filed with the DoL. Reported deaths in this category were about 22% above the quarterly average.
+ DoS reported that three U.S. civilians died in Iraq this quarter. Since the beginning of the U.S. reconstruction effort, 235 U.S. civilian workers have died in Iraq. Non-military U.S. citizen deaths reported this quarter were 78% below the quarterly average.
+ This quarter, 2 journalists were killed in Iraq; 119 Iraqi and other journalists have been killed since March 2003, and 41 media support workers have been killed in Iraq since hostilities began, including 2 this quarter.
+ Violence continued to force Iraqis to migrate. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that one of every seven Iraqis has been displaced by the conflict in Iraq. The UNHCR noted that large numbers of Iraqis continue to flee the country, and admission into Syria and Jordan became subject to visa approval this quarter. Internal migration is also limited by provincial restrictions on admission of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Labels: civilian contractors, IDPs, Iraq, Iraqi refugees, journalists, reconstruction, SIGIR, UNHCR
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
UNHCR head warns of disaster as Iraqi governorates refuse entry to internal refugees
Humanitarian
(BBC) - A growing number of Iraqi provinces are refusing entry to internal refugees, the UN refugee agency has warned. The head of the UNHCR Iraq Support Unit told the BBC up to 11 governors were restricting access because they lacked resources to look after the refugees. Andrew Harper warned that, with no imminent end to the displacement, Iraq was becoming a "pressure cooker".
The UNHCR says there are 2.2m internal refugees in Iraq, though the Iraqi government says there are half that. In addition, the UNHCR estimates that 2.2m Iraqis have fled to neighbouring states, particularly Syria and Jordan, since the US-led invasion in 2003. Mr Harper told the BBC that Iraqi authorities were increasingly overwhelmed by the internal refugee problem - caused not only by violence, but also by social and health problems such as cholera outbreaks. The possibility for Iraqis to find safety and find is becoming increasingly restricted
He said local authorities did not have the resources to cope, and that the governors of at least 11 provinces - out of 18 in the country - had reacted by blocking internal migrants from entering their territory, or denying them food and education if they do get in. "We are seeing an increasing number of governorates closing their borders or restricting entry to new arrivals," he said.
"And so we have a pressure cooker building up inside Iraq - there is no imminent end to the displacement," he added. "The possibility for Iraqis to find safety is becoming increasingly restricted. So, where they can move is becoming over-populated and intense."
WHERE IRAQIS HAVE FLED TO
Syria: 1,400,000
Jordan: 750,000
Gulf states: 200,000
Egypt: 100,000
Iran: 54,000
Lebanon: 40,000
Turkey: 10,000
Internally displaced: 2,250,000
Source: UNHCR
Alarming humanitarian crisis
Mr Harper said the UNHCR had raised the problem with the Iraqi central government, but was told that local authorities had been urged not to turn away Iraqis fleeing other parts of the country. The millions of refugees fleeing the violence and turmoil in the country, Mr Harper said, were the biggest challenge facing the UNHCR and the international community. He said the figures were increasing on average by up to 100,000 every month.
In Diyala province, aid workers have said they have been unable to reach thousands of families, including displaced refugees, because of the security situation. The huge displacement of people is cementing the fragmentation of the country, says the BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi, with local authorities ignoring Baghdad by refusing to shelter refugees. That will make national reconciliation even more difficult to achieve, he says.
There are also fears that the ramshackle refugee camps that today dot the Iraqi landscape are a breeding ground for violence, our correspondent adds. Mr Harper's warning comes at a time when Iraq's neighbours have more or less closed their borders to refugees, saying they can no longer cope with the strain.
The UNHCR says there are 2.2m internal refugees in Iraq, though the Iraqi government says there are half that. In addition, the UNHCR estimates that 2.2m Iraqis have fled to neighbouring states, particularly Syria and Jordan, since the US-led invasion in 2003. Mr Harper told the BBC that Iraqi authorities were increasingly overwhelmed by the internal refugee problem - caused not only by violence, but also by social and health problems such as cholera outbreaks. The possibility for Iraqis to find safety and find is becoming increasingly restricted
He said local authorities did not have the resources to cope, and that the governors of at least 11 provinces - out of 18 in the country - had reacted by blocking internal migrants from entering their territory, or denying them food and education if they do get in. "We are seeing an increasing number of governorates closing their borders or restricting entry to new arrivals," he said.
"And so we have a pressure cooker building up inside Iraq - there is no imminent end to the displacement," he added. "The possibility for Iraqis to find safety is becoming increasingly restricted. So, where they can move is becoming over-populated and intense."
WHERE IRAQIS HAVE FLED TO
Syria: 1,400,000
Jordan: 750,000
Gulf states: 200,000
Egypt: 100,000
Iran: 54,000
Lebanon: 40,000
Turkey: 10,000
Internally displaced: 2,250,000
Source: UNHCR
Alarming humanitarian crisis
Mr Harper said the UNHCR had raised the problem with the Iraqi central government, but was told that local authorities had been urged not to turn away Iraqis fleeing other parts of the country. The millions of refugees fleeing the violence and turmoil in the country, Mr Harper said, were the biggest challenge facing the UNHCR and the international community. He said the figures were increasing on average by up to 100,000 every month.
In Diyala province, aid workers have said they have been unable to reach thousands of families, including displaced refugees, because of the security situation. The huge displacement of people is cementing the fragmentation of the country, says the BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi, with local authorities ignoring Baghdad by refusing to shelter refugees. That will make national reconciliation even more difficult to achieve, he says.
There are also fears that the ramshackle refugee camps that today dot the Iraqi landscape are a breeding ground for violence, our correspondent adds. Mr Harper's warning comes at a time when Iraq's neighbours have more or less closed their borders to refugees, saying they can no longer cope with the strain.
Labels: IDPs, Iraqi refugees, UNHCR
Monday, October 08, 2007
128,000 Iraqi refugees register with UNHCR in Syria
Humanitarian
(DPA) -- More than 128,000 Iraqi refugees were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) by the start of the UN refugee agency's mobile registration programme in the northeast of the country on Monday.
The UNHCR said in a statement that the registration team started the programme in Al Hassakeh Governorate where it estimates that over 6,000 Iraqi refugees will be registered during a two month period. The agency said so far its office in Damascus has recorded more than 128,000 Iraqis, of whom 87,432 were registered in 2007.
The registration highlighted the 'vulnerability of many of these refugees with one in five registered this year having a serious medical condition, and one in five being classified as survivors of violence or torture in Iraq,' UNHCR statement said.
'It is a priority for UNHCR to reach vulnerable Iraqi refugees throughout the country. This mobile registration will help us to identify the refugees that need our help the most. In parallel we plan to expand our assistance rapidly throughout the country,' UNHCR Syria Representative Laurens Jolles said. The Syrian government estimates there are around 1.6 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, most of them living in Damascus and its surrounds.
The UNHCR said in a statement that the registration team started the programme in Al Hassakeh Governorate where it estimates that over 6,000 Iraqi refugees will be registered during a two month period. The agency said so far its office in Damascus has recorded more than 128,000 Iraqis, of whom 87,432 were registered in 2007.
The registration highlighted the 'vulnerability of many of these refugees with one in five registered this year having a serious medical condition, and one in five being classified as survivors of violence or torture in Iraq,' UNHCR statement said.
'It is a priority for UNHCR to reach vulnerable Iraqi refugees throughout the country. This mobile registration will help us to identify the refugees that need our help the most. In parallel we plan to expand our assistance rapidly throughout the country,' UNHCR Syria Representative Laurens Jolles said. The Syrian government estimates there are around 1.6 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, most of them living in Damascus and its surrounds.
Labels: Al Hassakeh Governorate, Iraqi refugees, Syria, UNHCR
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Iraqi refugee crisis - how to help
Humanitarian
Iraqi refugee crisis - how to help:
Iraqi refugee crisis - how to help:
According to The UN High Commissioner on Refugees, in terms of raw numbers, the nearly two-and-a-half million Iraqi refugees displaced because of the war is a bigger crisis than Darfur. It’s also the largest mass migration in the Middles east since the exodus of Palestinians from Israel in 1948. The vast majority of Iraqi refugees have fled to Syria and Jordan, further straining already overstretched infrastructures in two of the region's poorer countries.
The result is inflated housing costs, scarce water resources and crowded public health facilities and schools. Well over a million Iraqis are internally displaced. According to The UN High Commission for Refugees estimates that as many as a third of externally displaced refugees now outside Iraq is Christian. [And it really matters not what religion they may follow. They are in need of help. Call or write your congress person today and tell them to support the Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act. Or make a contribution to the International Rescue Committee or Direct Relief International or American Friends Service Committee or International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent
Very few organizations are working on getting aid to Iraqi refugees, and of those that are, many are too small or too beleaguered to accept individual donations; the Iraqi Red Crescent, for example, has suffered bombings and mass kidnappings, yet its volunteers continue to deliver aid to displaced families inside Iraq. One of the larger relief organizations working with the refugees is the Catholic group Caritas. Caritas helps a few thousand families a year, but "the demand far outstrips the money available to us," says Magy Mahrous, who oversees the project.
You can make a contribution at: International Catholic Migration Commission, Citibank USA, 153 East 53rd Street, 16th floor, New York, NY 10043. To ensure that the money reaches the Iraqi program, write "Iraq-icmc" on your check.
You can make a contribution at: International Catholic Migration Commission, Citibank USA, 153 East 53rd Street, 16th floor, New York, NY 10043. To ensure that the money reaches the Iraqi program, write "Iraq-icmc" on your check.
Labels: Caritas Iraq, Direct Relief International, IDPs, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, Iraqi Red Crescent Society, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Syria, UNHCR
Friday, July 27, 2007
Jordan appeals for help with Iraqi refugee influx
Humanitarian
(RFE/RL) - Jordan has appealed for international help to deal with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis it is hosting on its soil. Mukheimar Abu-Jamous, the secretary-general of Jordan's Interior Ministry, told an international conference in Amman today that the influx of some 750,000 Iraqis into Jordan costs $1 billion a year in basic services, and heightens security concerns in the kingdom.
The conference on the Iraqi refugee crisis brings together officials from Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iran, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hajj al-Hmud urged countries hosting refugees not to mistreat those arriving at their borders and to avoid their forcible return until stability returns to Iraq.
The United Nations says some 2 million Iraqis have fled Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion, and estimates that around 50,000 people continue to flee every month, mostly to neighboring Jordan and Syria, which are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees. Rights group Amnesty International said that without urgent action, the influx of Iraqis threatens a humanitarian crisis that could engulf the region.
The conference on the Iraqi refugee crisis brings together officials from Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iran, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hajj al-Hmud urged countries hosting refugees not to mistreat those arriving at their borders and to avoid their forcible return until stability returns to Iraq.
The United Nations says some 2 million Iraqis have fled Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion, and estimates that around 50,000 people continue to flee every month, mostly to neighboring Jordan and Syria, which are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees. Rights group Amnesty International said that without urgent action, the influx of Iraqis threatens a humanitarian crisis that could engulf the region.
Labels: Amnesty International, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Mohammed al-Hajj al-Hmud, Mukheimar Abu-Jamous, UNHCR
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Jordan to host conference on Iraqi refugees
Humanitarian
(AFP) - Jordan has invited officials from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt to a conference next week on ways to help these states cope with hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, the foreign ministry said Thursday. United Nations officials will attend, with Turkey, Iran, Russia and Japan also taking part in the July 26 meeting as "observers," the ministry said in a statement carried by state-run Petra news agency.
"The conference will discuss ways of helping these states cope with burdens caused by Iraqi refugees," it said.On July 12 the UN refugee agency UNHCR said it had more than doubled its annual appeal for funding to help millions of uprooted Iraqis to 123 million dollars, to boost medical care, shelter and other support.
It urged the international community to "put its money where its mouth is" after Syria and Jordan were left with little in the way of direct bilateral aid to cope with some two million Iraqi refugees fleeing widespread violence. The UNHCR has warned that Syria and Jordan's healthcare, education systems and housing are under severe strain due to the continued influx of Iraqis.
Jordan said in May that hosting Iraqi refugees is costing the desert kingdom around one billion dollars a year, and it has commissioned a survey to determine the exact number of Iraqis on its territory. Syria hosts some 1.4 million Iraqis and Jordan about 750,000, including people who had fled before the 2003 US-led invasion, according to the UNHCR.
UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner L. Craig Johnstone commended both Jordan and Syria for taking in so many refugees, during a visit to both countries to meet officials and check on humanitarian services provided to Iraqis, the UN agency said in a statement.
"Registration is the only way that we can effectively identify those refugees that need our help," Johnstone said, adding that the UNHCR has already registered more than 150,000 Iraqis in the region. Johnstone said Jordan and Syria are "both to be commended for their extraordinary generosity toward those fleeing Iraq" and stressed that "the needs are enormous and these governments should not have to cope alone."
"The conference will discuss ways of helping these states cope with burdens caused by Iraqi refugees," it said.On July 12 the UN refugee agency UNHCR said it had more than doubled its annual appeal for funding to help millions of uprooted Iraqis to 123 million dollars, to boost medical care, shelter and other support.
It urged the international community to "put its money where its mouth is" after Syria and Jordan were left with little in the way of direct bilateral aid to cope with some two million Iraqi refugees fleeing widespread violence. The UNHCR has warned that Syria and Jordan's healthcare, education systems and housing are under severe strain due to the continued influx of Iraqis.
Jordan said in May that hosting Iraqi refugees is costing the desert kingdom around one billion dollars a year, and it has commissioned a survey to determine the exact number of Iraqis on its territory. Syria hosts some 1.4 million Iraqis and Jordan about 750,000, including people who had fled before the 2003 US-led invasion, according to the UNHCR.
UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner L. Craig Johnstone commended both Jordan and Syria for taking in so many refugees, during a visit to both countries to meet officials and check on humanitarian services provided to Iraqis, the UN agency said in a statement.
"Registration is the only way that we can effectively identify those refugees that need our help," Johnstone said, adding that the UNHCR has already registered more than 150,000 Iraqis in the region. Johnstone said Jordan and Syria are "both to be commended for their extraordinary generosity toward those fleeing Iraq" and stressed that "the needs are enormous and these governments should not have to cope alone."
Labels: Craig Johnstone, Egypt, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Syria, UNHCR
Friday, July 13, 2007
UNHCR doubles funding appeal for Iraq as 2,000 flee each day
Humanitarian
(Reuters) - The United Nations refugee agency on Thursday doubled its funding appeal for Iraq this year to $123 million, saying humanitarian needs continued to mushroom as an estimated 2,000 people flee violence each day. Most of the revised appeal, up from $60 million in January, will be used to provide shelter, food, health care, education and other emergency services to Iraqis who cross into neighbouring countries.
Syria and Jordan are already struggling to host 2 million Iraqis who fled before and since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, while another 2 million people are uprooted within Iraq, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "Massive displacement of Iraqis externally and internally continues unabated, causing a great deal of suffering and uncertainty," Radhouane Nouicer, director of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa bureau, told a news briefing.
The agency had received $67 million towards its initial appeal, including $17 million from the United States, and was seeking more from both new and traditional donors. "At least one Iraqi in seven is displaced and UNHCR estimates the number of those newly displaced at 2,000 per day," the UNHCR said in an appeal document sent to donors. "Thousands of Iraqis approaching UNHCR are the victims of torture, sexual and gender-based violence, car bombings, or other violent attacks and are in urgent need of medical care.
"Many Iraqi children had been out of school for two to three years, raising the prospect of "potential emergence of a generation of uneducated Iraqi youth", the UNHCR warned. As part of its protection strategy, the UNHCR has set a target of resettling 20,000 of the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees to third countries this year.
Labels: IDPs, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Radhouane Nouicer, Syria, UNHCR
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
UNHCR - over four million Iraqis displaced by violence
Humanitarian
(AP) - More than 4 million Iraqis have now been displaced by violence in the country, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday, warning that the figure will continue to rise. The number of Iraqis who have fled the country as refugees has risen to 2.2 million, said Jennifer Pagonis, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. A further 2 million have been driven from their homes but remain within the country, increasingly in "impoverished shanty towns," she said.
Pagonis said UNHCR is receiving "disturbing reports" of regional authorities doing little to provide displaced people with food, shelter and other basic services. "Individual governorates inside Iraq are becoming overwhelmed by the needs of the displaced," Pagonis told reporters in Geneva, where UNHCR has its headquarters.
More than half of Iraq's 18 governorates are preventing displaced people from entering their territories, either by stopping them at checkpoints or by refusing to register them for food aid and other basic services.
Astrid van Genderen Stort of UNHCR said checkpoints are increasing in northern governorates, specifically along the "green line" that divides Kurdish-controlled zones from the rest of the country. Displaced people are also being stopped on the roads leading out of the cities of Karbala and Najaf, which are both south of Baghdad and considered holy by Shiite Muslims.
While many of the checkpoints were originally established for security reasons, they are being increasingly used to prevent displaced Iraqis from moving around the country, van Genderen Stort said. Almost half of all displaced people have no access to official food distribution programs, according to U.N. estimates.
Most of those uprooted from their homes come from Baghdad and its surrounding districts. More than 85 percent of the Iraqis displaced within the country have moved to central and southern regions, Pagonis said.
She said about 30,000 Iraqis continue to flee each month to Syria, which is now housing 1.4 million Iraqi refugees. Another 750,000 are in Jordan.
While Iraq's neighbors are bearing the bulk of the refugee burden, few Iraqis are being welcomed into countries farther away, particularly in Europe, Pagonis said. The Bush administration says it will allow up to 7,000 Iraqis to settle permanently in the U.S. - up from 202 in 2006 - by the end of September and will pay more to help Iraq's neighbors cope with the surge of refugees. UNHCR hopes to find a permanent home for 20,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of the year.
Pagonis said UNHCR is receiving "disturbing reports" of regional authorities doing little to provide displaced people with food, shelter and other basic services. "Individual governorates inside Iraq are becoming overwhelmed by the needs of the displaced," Pagonis told reporters in Geneva, where UNHCR has its headquarters.
More than half of Iraq's 18 governorates are preventing displaced people from entering their territories, either by stopping them at checkpoints or by refusing to register them for food aid and other basic services.
Astrid van Genderen Stort of UNHCR said checkpoints are increasing in northern governorates, specifically along the "green line" that divides Kurdish-controlled zones from the rest of the country. Displaced people are also being stopped on the roads leading out of the cities of Karbala and Najaf, which are both south of Baghdad and considered holy by Shiite Muslims.
While many of the checkpoints were originally established for security reasons, they are being increasingly used to prevent displaced Iraqis from moving around the country, van Genderen Stort said. Almost half of all displaced people have no access to official food distribution programs, according to U.N. estimates.
Most of those uprooted from their homes come from Baghdad and its surrounding districts. More than 85 percent of the Iraqis displaced within the country have moved to central and southern regions, Pagonis said.
She said about 30,000 Iraqis continue to flee each month to Syria, which is now housing 1.4 million Iraqi refugees. Another 750,000 are in Jordan.
While Iraq's neighbors are bearing the bulk of the refugee burden, few Iraqis are being welcomed into countries farther away, particularly in Europe, Pagonis said. The Bush administration says it will allow up to 7,000 Iraqis to settle permanently in the U.S. - up from 202 in 2006 - by the end of September and will pay more to help Iraq's neighbors cope with the surge of refugees. UNHCR hopes to find a permanent home for 20,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of the year.
Labels: IDPs, Iraqi refugees, UNHCR
Monday, May 28, 2007
Camp for displaced people to be set up in Arbil
Humanitarian
(Voices of Iraq) - A camp for displaced persons coming from Mosul will be set up in Arbil soon, mayor of Arbil's city of Khabat, Rizkar Mustafa, said on Sunday. "It will be an emergency camp where the displaced from Mosul can settle until we know their exact numbers and the security reasons related to their exodus," Mustafa told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The camp will be open to all displaced," Mustafa added, explaining that they included Iraqis from all communities and religious and ethnic groups. According to Mustafa, nearly 500 families, mostly from Baghdad and Diala, 60 km northeast of it, have fled to Arbil. Ninety percent of those from Mosul were Kurds, along with 25 Christian families and 20 Turkmen families.
"The province and the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) institutions have all made preparations for receiving the displaced. Around 2,000 tents will be set up," Mustafa indicated. "In cooperation with the regional government's institutions in Arbil, we have managed to provide the camp with water and electricity. Moreover, in coordination with the province, the Iraqi Red Crescent will supervise the camp," Mustafa said, explaining that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will provide assistance to the displaced.
When asked about the number of displaced arriving in the province, Mustafa said that from two to five families arrive in Arbil everyday. "We sometimes receive 25 families a day," he added. Around 1,700 families have moved to Arbil, 700 of which are being housed in downtown Arbil, a relatively large number given the city's total population of 25,000.
"The camp will be open to all displaced," Mustafa added, explaining that they included Iraqis from all communities and religious and ethnic groups. According to Mustafa, nearly 500 families, mostly from Baghdad and Diala, 60 km northeast of it, have fled to Arbil. Ninety percent of those from Mosul were Kurds, along with 25 Christian families and 20 Turkmen families.
"The province and the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) institutions have all made preparations for receiving the displaced. Around 2,000 tents will be set up," Mustafa indicated. "In cooperation with the regional government's institutions in Arbil, we have managed to provide the camp with water and electricity. Moreover, in coordination with the province, the Iraqi Red Crescent will supervise the camp," Mustafa said, explaining that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will provide assistance to the displaced.
When asked about the number of displaced arriving in the province, Mustafa said that from two to five families arrive in Arbil everyday. "We sometimes receive 25 families a day," he added. Around 1,700 families have moved to Arbil, 700 of which are being housed in downtown Arbil, a relatively large number given the city's total population of 25,000.
Labels: Arbil, displaced people, KRG, Mosul, Rizkar Mustafa, UNHCR
Friday, May 04, 2007
UNHCR to reopen offices in Baghdad
Humanitarian
(RFE/RL) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will reopen offices in Baghdad in an effort to address the growing refugee problem, the UN announced on May 1. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York that the UNHCR's international staff, now based in Amman, Jordan, will be moved to Baghdad.
The UN withdrew its international staff from Iraq following the August 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad. Since then, the world body has relied largely on local Iraqi staff to carry out its work in Iraq. The UNHCR announced on May 1 that it has concluded a deal with the Syrian government to provide it with $2.06 million to renovate hospitals, train medical staff, and provide new medical equipment to help provide care for Iraqi refugees, according to a press release on the UN website.
Labels: Antonio Guterres, Baghdad, Iraqi refugees, UNHCR
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
UNHCR to give Syria $2 mn to help with Iraqi refugees
Humanitarian
(VOA) -- The U.N. refugee agency says it has signed an agreement with Syria to help the country cope with the health and education needs of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva that the agency says up to 50,000 Iraqis continue to flee their homes every month. Under the agreement, the U.N. refugee agency will give the Syrian Ministry of Health more than $2 million to rehabilitate public hospitals in the capital Damascus. The money also will be used to build up medical staff and provide new medical equipment.
This is in addition to 11 ambulances the UNHCR is delivering to the Ministry of Health, Syrian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Red Crescent. This is the fourth agreement between the agency and Syrian government since the beginning of the year. UNHCR spokeswoman, Jennifer Pagonis says the aim is to support refugee health and educational needs.
Syria and Jordan are hosting more than two million refugees fleeing violence in Iraq. Both countries are overstretched and unable to cope. Last month, the UNHCR held a conference to create international support and protection for Iraqi refugees. Pagonis says the conference succeeded in raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the region. She says governments have promised not to deport Iraqi asylum seekers.
UNHCR spokeswoman Pagonis says earlier this year, the agency set up a new registration center for Iraqi refugees in Douma, 15 kilometers from Damascus. So far, nearly 78,000 refugees have been registered. During registration, she says, the most vulnerable Iraqis are identified for medical assistance, community services and resettlement. She says resettlement is reserved for those Iraqis who can never go home because their lives may be in danger.
This is in addition to 11 ambulances the UNHCR is delivering to the Ministry of Health, Syrian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Red Crescent. This is the fourth agreement between the agency and Syrian government since the beginning of the year. UNHCR spokeswoman, Jennifer Pagonis says the aim is to support refugee health and educational needs.
Syria and Jordan are hosting more than two million refugees fleeing violence in Iraq. Both countries are overstretched and unable to cope. Last month, the UNHCR held a conference to create international support and protection for Iraqi refugees. Pagonis says the conference succeeded in raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the region. She says governments have promised not to deport Iraqi asylum seekers.
UNHCR spokeswoman Pagonis says earlier this year, the agency set up a new registration center for Iraqi refugees in Douma, 15 kilometers from Damascus. So far, nearly 78,000 refugees have been registered. During registration, she says, the most vulnerable Iraqis are identified for medical assistance, community services and resettlement. She says resettlement is reserved for those Iraqis who can never go home because their lives may be in danger.
Labels: Iraqi refugees, Syria, UNHCR
Saturday, April 21, 2007
E.U. - no urgent need to accept more Iraqi refugees
Humanitarian
(AP) - European Union nations said Friday there was no urgent need to accept more Iraqi refugees, agreeing only to consider sending more humanitarian aid to Syria and Jordan to take in Iraqis. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told reporters that EU justice and interior ministers did not consider the current refugee crisis urgent enough for Europe to open its doors to more asylum-seekers from Iraq.
"The situation is not such at the moment that we have to start emergency measures. At the moment, the problem is such that we should try to tackle it locally in the region," Schaeuble said. "The amount of money we can use to resettle them here could best be spent there because you can help ten times more refugees there."
However, EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini said he would set aside up to $9.5 million in special funds to help EU nations if they want to take in more Iraqis. EU officials also said that on top of $15.2 million already sent to Jordan, Syria and Iraq to help pay for housing, feeding and hosting fleeing Iraqis, they were readying an additional $13.6 million, which could be disbursed later this year.
The U.N. refugee agency and human rights groups have urged the EU to help ease the burden on Jordan and Syria and take in more Iraqis until the security situation in Iraq improves. About 50,000 people continue to flee Iraq every month, mostly to those two countries, according to the UNHCR.
"The situation is not such at the moment that we have to start emergency measures. At the moment, the problem is such that we should try to tackle it locally in the region," Schaeuble said. "The amount of money we can use to resettle them here could best be spent there because you can help ten times more refugees there."
However, EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini said he would set aside up to $9.5 million in special funds to help EU nations if they want to take in more Iraqis. EU officials also said that on top of $15.2 million already sent to Jordan, Syria and Iraq to help pay for housing, feeding and hosting fleeing Iraqis, they were readying an additional $13.6 million, which could be disbursed later this year.
The U.N. refugee agency and human rights groups have urged the EU to help ease the burden on Jordan and Syria and take in more Iraqis until the security situation in Iraq improves. About 50,000 people continue to flee Iraq every month, mostly to those two countries, according to the UNHCR.
Labels: E.U., Franco Frattini, humanitarian aid, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Syria, UNHCR, Wolfgang Schaeuble
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
UNHCR conference on Iraqi refugees opens in Geneva
Humanitarian, International
A two-day conference sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Iraqi displaced persons opened in Geneva on April 17, international media reported. The UNHCR said it will urge the 450 participants from more than 60 governments and international and nongovernmental organizations to do more to help ease the refugee crisis, beginning with Great Britain. Some 1.9 million Iraqis are now displaced inside their country and up to 2 million others have fled abroad, making the refugee crisis the largest displacement of people in the Middle East since the conflict triggered by the creation of Israel in 1948, the UNHCR said. "But we certainly intend and hope that this conference will contribute to raising the awareness of the world to the humanitarian crisis that faces Iraq and Iraqi refugees as a result of the difficult security situation in their country," Radhouane Nouicer, the director of the Middle East and North Africa bureau of UNHCR, said. He noted that the conference will also address the need to protect Iraqi refugees from forcible repatriation, as well as bad treatment or hunger or deprivation by host states.
Amnesty International's briefing: Iraq: A deepening refugee crisis - Media Briefing
Human Rights Watch full report: Iraq: From a Flood to a Trickle - Neighboring States Stop Iraqis Fleeing War and Persecution http://hrw.org/backgrounder/refugees/iraq0407/
Labels: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, humanitarian, IDPs, Iraq, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Syria, UNHCR
Monday, April 16, 2007
Amnesty warns of humanitarian crisis at start of international conference
Humanitarian
(AP, Reuters) - Amnesty International today warned of a new humanitarian crisis in the Middle East unless governments take urgent measures to help some 4 million displaced Iraqis. The group said Syria and Jordan need direct assistance in order to provide housing, food aid, and health care to some 2 million refugees. Nearly 2 million more Iraqis are displaced within their home country, the report said. The appeal came a day before the start of an international conference in Geneva on Iraqi refugees.
The London-based human rights group called on the United States, the European Union and others to help Jordan and Syria, whose governments are struggling to care for some two million Iraqi refugees who have fled their homeland. Another 1.9 million are displaced within Iraq, many in the past year marked by suicide bombings and sectarian violence.
The appeal came ahead of a two-day international conference in Geneva, opening on Tuesday, called by the United Nations refugee agency to confront massive needs in the region. "The Middle East is on the verge of a new humanitarian crisis unless the European Union, U.S. and other states take urgent and concrete measures," Amnesty said in a statement.
From 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqis flee their homes each month in an exodus linked to pervasive violence, poor basic services, a loss of jobs, and an uncertain future, according to the UNHCR. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, U.S. Under-Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky and senior European officials are among 450 officials due to attend.
The appeal came ahead of a two-day international conference in Geneva, opening on Tuesday, called by the United Nations refugee agency to confront massive needs in the region. "The Middle East is on the verge of a new humanitarian crisis unless the European Union, U.S. and other states take urgent and concrete measures," Amnesty said in a statement.
From 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqis flee their homes each month in an exodus linked to pervasive violence, poor basic services, a loss of jobs, and an uncertain future, according to the UNHCR. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, U.S. Under-Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky and senior European officials are among 450 officials due to attend.
Labels: Amnesty International, conference, IDPs, Iraqi refugees, UNHCR
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Independent research institute to begin undertaking census of Iraqis in Jordan
Humanitarian
(IRIN) - The huge influx of Iraqis in Jordan over the past year has caused the creation of an illegal employment market that is undercutting the wages of ordinary Jordanians and sometimes robbing them of their jobs, local officials say.`In addition, some Jordanians blame incoming Iraqis for property price rises, and increasingly overburdened education and health systems. "Iraqis who are educated can easily get good jobs in the black market but they are not well paid, and are exploited by working longer hours without being compensated," Mustafa Abdel-Kadder, a spokesman for the Association of Iraqis in Jordan (AIJ), said.
"They [Iraqis] accept these conditions to keep their families in the country and avoid deportation," he added. About 750,000 Iraqis of different religious persuasions and ethnic backgrounds have found refuge in Jordan after fleeing the uncontrolled violence in their country, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Only 250,000 are officially registered as refugees, the agency says.
"They [Iraqis] accept these conditions to keep their families in the country and avoid deportation," he added. About 750,000 Iraqis of different religious persuasions and ethnic backgrounds have found refuge in Jordan after fleeing the uncontrolled violence in their country, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Only 250,000 are officially registered as refugees, the agency says.
To determine the exact numbers of Iraqis in Jordan and their respective needs, the Jordanian government and Fafo Foundation, a Norwegian independent research institute, will begin undertaking a census of Iraqis in Jordan from 1 April. The government hopes an internationally recognized study would persuade donors to grant Jordan the support it needs to accommodate the refugees and their respective needs. The survey is expected to take two months to complete and Jordanian authorities have said any Iraqis who do not cooperate will be deported.`According to specialists, most of the Iraqis in Jordan work in 'black market jobs', without proper documentation or government approval. With a huge pool of Iraqis willing to do menial jobs, business owners prefer to hire illegal Iraqi workers at a lower pay.
While Iraqi refugees are scattered all over Jordan, many live in the capital, Amman. This surge of people looking for refuge in the kingdom has led to huge price increases in the property market and in many other areas of the economy."
Labels: census, Fafo Foundation, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, UNHCR
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Syria, Jordan urge UNHCR to create refugee camps for Iraqis
Humanitarian
(AP Worldstream) - Emergency camps to host Iraqis fleeing their country could be built if their numbers increase beyond the point where neighboring nations can cope, the U.N. refugee agency said Monday. Already about two million Iraqis are living under difficult conditions in Syria, Jordan, and other countries in the region, where they are placing a heavy burden on their hosts, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' director for the Middle East and North Africa said.
"If the situation continues to deteriorate inside Iraq, and if new and major waves of Iraqis start leaving, we might face a situation whereby borders all around Iraq are closed," Radhouane Nouicer told reporters after returning from a visit to the region. To avoid the closing of borders, UNHCR would set up camps in Jordan, Syria, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, effectively separating the refugees from the local population and economy, he said. "The countries neighboring Iraq would prefer that we establish what they call 'safety zones' inside Iraq," he said. "We do not see any area inside Iraq which is completely safe, so we prefer to drop that option."
According to the agency, Syria has taken in some 1.2 million Iraqis, and Jordan his hosting between 500,00 and 750,000. Egypt has 120,000 refugees, and another 200,000 Iraqis have found shelter in the countries of the Persian Gulf. Even Lebanon, which had its own refugee crisis during the conflict with Israel last summer, is home to at least 20,000 Iraqi refugees. Thousands more are leaving Iraq daily.
"If the situation continues to deteriorate inside Iraq, and if new and major waves of Iraqis start leaving, we might face a situation whereby borders all around Iraq are closed," Radhouane Nouicer told reporters after returning from a visit to the region. To avoid the closing of borders, UNHCR would set up camps in Jordan, Syria, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, effectively separating the refugees from the local population and economy, he said. "The countries neighboring Iraq would prefer that we establish what they call 'safety zones' inside Iraq," he said. "We do not see any area inside Iraq which is completely safe, so we prefer to drop that option."
According to the agency, Syria has taken in some 1.2 million Iraqis, and Jordan his hosting between 500,00 and 750,000. Egypt has 120,000 refugees, and another 200,000 Iraqis have found shelter in the countries of the Persian Gulf. Even Lebanon, which had its own refugee crisis during the conflict with Israel last summer, is home to at least 20,000 Iraqi refugees. Thousands more are leaving Iraq daily.
Labels: refugees, region, UNHCR
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
UNHCR to hold international conference on Iraqi IDPs, refugees
Humanitarian, International
(UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency said a major conference in Geneva in April is aimed at increasing awareness of the humanitarian scale of the Iraq conflict and winning international support for tackling the problems. Participants at the April 17-18 ministerial-level meeting in Geneva's Palais des Nations would also try to identify more targeted responses to specific problems, UNHCR's chief spokesman, Ron Redmond, told reporters, while adding that it was not specifically a pledging or donor conference. "The conference will bring together Iraqi authorities and those of neighbouring countries, major refugee-hosting states, major donor countries, resettlement countries, concerned regional governmental organisations, NGOs, UN and non-UN partners and others," Redmond said.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
U.N. - 727,000 Iraqis have fled homes in last month
Humanitarian
(Al Jazeera)
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has begun a one-week mission to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to strengthen support for displaced Iraqis in the region and the countries hosting them. George Okoth-Obbo, director of international protection, travelled to Syria on Saturday ahead of an April conference in Geneva on displacement in Iraq. The United Nations estimates 2 million Iraqis now live in nearby countries and about 1.9 million have been displaced within Iraq itself. It estimates more than 727,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes since last month.
A statement issued by the agency said the one-week mission is "part of UNHCR's overall efforts to strengthen its protection and assistance programmes for hundreds of thousands of uprooted Iraqis in the region". Okoth-Obbo will be in Syria until Tuesday, then travels to Lebanon through Wednesday, and then Jordan on Thursday and Friday. He will meet government officials and aid workers in each country. UNHCR estimates Syria hosts about 1 million Iraqis and Jordan hosts about 750,000. Lebanon has an estimated 40,000 Iraqis.
The statement said: "Missions will be focussed on the ongoing effort to ensure that Iraqis fleeing their homeland receive international protection, that the required systems are in place ... and that there are programmes for the provision of assistance and solutions, including resettlement of the most vulnerable."Radhouane Nouicer, UNHCR's director for the Middle East and North Africa will also be reviewing operations in the region.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has begun a one-week mission to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to strengthen support for displaced Iraqis in the region and the countries hosting them. George Okoth-Obbo, director of international protection, travelled to Syria on Saturday ahead of an April conference in Geneva on displacement in Iraq. The United Nations estimates 2 million Iraqis now live in nearby countries and about 1.9 million have been displaced within Iraq itself. It estimates more than 727,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes since last month.
A statement issued by the agency said the one-week mission is "part of UNHCR's overall efforts to strengthen its protection and assistance programmes for hundreds of thousands of uprooted Iraqis in the region". Okoth-Obbo will be in Syria until Tuesday, then travels to Lebanon through Wednesday, and then Jordan on Thursday and Friday. He will meet government officials and aid workers in each country. UNHCR estimates Syria hosts about 1 million Iraqis and Jordan hosts about 750,000. Lebanon has an estimated 40,000 Iraqis.
The statement said: "Missions will be focussed on the ongoing effort to ensure that Iraqis fleeing their homeland receive international protection, that the required systems are in place ... and that there are programmes for the provision of assistance and solutions, including resettlement of the most vulnerable."Radhouane Nouicer, UNHCR's director for the Middle East and North Africa will also be reviewing operations in the region.
Labels: displaced people, George Okoth-Obbo, Jordan, Lebanon, refugees, Syria, UNHCR
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
UNHCR appeals for $60 million for Iraqi refugee crisis
Humanitarian
(AP) The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and Arab countries are struggling to absorb a flood of Iraqis fleeing the violence in their country. A look at the problem:
Overall, an estimated 3.8 million Iraqis have either fled the country or fled their homes and gone to other parts of Iraq, according to the U.N. Syria, which has taken in an estimated 1 million Iraqis, has just imposed new restrictions that could curb the flow of Iraqis into its territory in future. It was the last Arab country to take in large numbers. Jordan and Egypt, with 700,000 and 130,000 Iraqis respectively, had already previously signaled they would take no more Iraqis.
The U.N. estimates 40,000 to 50,000 people flee Iraq each month and have dwindling options of where to go. The U.N. classifies most Iraqis as having only "temporary protection status," rather than as permanent refugees - presumably because it assumes most will return to Iraq after the fighting ends.
This month, the Geneva-based UNHCR made an emergency appeal for $60 million to help fleeing Iraqis. The UNHCR said it hopes to permanently resettle this year up to 20,000 Iraqis who it considers the most vulnerable, including women, children, survivors of torture, the seriously ill and minorities. The United States has taken in 466 Iraqis since 2003, including 202 last year.
Overall, an estimated 3.8 million Iraqis have either fled the country or fled their homes and gone to other parts of Iraq, according to the U.N. Syria, which has taken in an estimated 1 million Iraqis, has just imposed new restrictions that could curb the flow of Iraqis into its territory in future. It was the last Arab country to take in large numbers. Jordan and Egypt, with 700,000 and 130,000 Iraqis respectively, had already previously signaled they would take no more Iraqis.
The U.N. estimates 40,000 to 50,000 people flee Iraq each month and have dwindling options of where to go. The U.N. classifies most Iraqis as having only "temporary protection status," rather than as permanent refugees - presumably because it assumes most will return to Iraq after the fighting ends.
This month, the Geneva-based UNHCR made an emergency appeal for $60 million to help fleeing Iraqis. The UNHCR said it hopes to permanently resettle this year up to 20,000 Iraqis who it considers the most vulnerable, including women, children, survivors of torture, the seriously ill and minorities. The United States has taken in 466 Iraqis since 2003, including 202 last year.
