Refugees International: Articles: Recommended FY 08 Supplemental Assistance for Internally Displaced Iraqis and Iraqi Refugees

Home About Us Donate Where We Work Issues Blog

Recommended FY 08 Supplemental Assistance for Internally Displaced Iraqis and Iraqi Refugees

10/11/2007

Recommended FY 08 Supplemental Assistance for Internally Displaced Iraqis and Iraqi Refugees

Congress should provide at least $1.4 billion in additional funding in the FY 08 Global War on Terror Supplemental to (1) address the critical needs of the growing number of displaced Iraqis; (2) help ease rising tensions and ensure stability in countries and communities hosting displaced Iraqis; (3) provide for the U.S. resettlement of additional highly vulnerable Iraqis through the U.S. refugee resettlement program and the special immigrant visa program.

FY 08 Supplemental Funding Recommendations:

Migration and Refugee Assistance

International Disaster and Famine Assistance

Economic Support Funding

HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement

Department of Homeland Security Refugee Corps

Background:

The ongoing conflict in Iraq has generated a large-scale humanitarian crisis that threatens the safety and well-being of over 4.5 million displaced Iraqis and poses increasingly complex security concerns in an already highly unstable region.

To date, the response from the U.S. and the international community has not been commensurate with the magnitude and urgency of the unfolding catastrophe. An estimated 100,000 Iraqis are newly displaced each month, making this the fastest growing displacement crisis in the world.

Displaced Iraqis are increasingly desperate. Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries cannot work and have limited or no access to basic services. Many internally displaced Iraqis also have no income and are particularly vulnerable in a country where up to one-third of the population is in need of immediate emergency aid.

The strains on local communities and refugee hosting countries are enormous, and neighboring countries are pleading for help to deal with the huge influx of refugees. This urban refugee crisis is unprecedented in size and complexity.

The U.S. should demonstrate strong leadership in confronting this growing humanitarian crisis by significantly stepping up its own response and pressing the international community and the Government of Iraq to do the same.

Funding levels in the pending regular FY 08 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations bill are insufficient to address the Iraqi displacement crisis and meet urgent humanitarian needs in other parts of the world. Additional funding should be provided in the FY 08 GWOT Supplemental—and it must be significantly more than the terribly inadequate $35 million the Administration is currently requesting in that supplemental for Iraqi refugee assistance.

Foreign Operations Accounts:

Migration and Refugee Assistance: $307.5 million (Includes $220 million for humanitarian assistance; $70 million to resettle an additional 20,000 Iraqi refugees; $17.5 million for benefits for 5000 special immigrant visa recipients)

Provides for a doubling of the estimated $110 million the State Department expects to spend in FY 07 for Iraqi humanitarian assistance to aid more refugees and to address the sharply deteriorating circumstances of many refugees whose savings have disappeared.

Allows the U.S. to make significant contributions to the recent UNICEF-UNHCR education appeal. The U.S. should help ensure that the appeal is fully funded in a timely fashion.

Ensures that the State Department will have the funding in hand to respond quickly to anticipated larger appeals from UNHCR, ICRC and other international agencies in 2008 for refugee assistance programs in the key areas of food, shelter, health care, education, and income generation programs.

Allows for increases in funding to NGOs assisting refugees and host communities. This is vital as UN agencies can only provide assistance to refugees who are registered with UNHCR and only a fraction of the more than 2 million Iraqi refugees are likely to be registered by the end of 2007.

Provides funding to allow an additional 20,000 highly vulnerable refugees to resettle in the U.S. These should include Iraqis who assisted the U.S., persecuted minorities and other highly vulnerable Iraqis including women-headed households.

Consistent with authorizing legislation introduced in the House and Senate, ensures that Iraqi recipients of special immigrant visas--Iraqis who are at risk because of their association with the U.S.--receive the same travel, medical and other benefits that refugees receive.

Note: Additional funding may be required for the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance program to ensure that the U.S. can respond quickly to potential increases in the rate of Iraqi displacement and meet unanticipated crises in other parts of the world. This emergency drawdown account should be fully funded at the authorized ceiling of $100 million in FY 08.

International Disaster and Famine Assistance: $130 million

Doubles the FY 07 funding the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance had available for assistance to internally displaced Iraqis whose numbers are expected to rise to at least 3 million by the end of 2007.

Ensures that additional funds are readily available to help meet immediate and growing needs for food, shelter, water, sanitation, health care, education and employment of the millions of internally displaced persons and highly vulnerable persons in host communities.

Allows the U.S. to make a significant contribution to the pending appeal from the International Organization for Migration for urgent aid for internally displaced Iraqis.

Prepares for the possibility of additional camps inside Iraq for internally displaced persons. Camps have been growing inside the country because local communities in some areas can no longer absorb additional arrivals. This trend may increase in the coming months especially if more borders close and host communities fail to receive the necessary assistance to meet the needs of internally displaced persons.

Economic Support Funding: $900 million (Includes $700 million for Jordan and $100 million each for Lebanon and Egypt)

The U.S., Iraqi government, and international community should provide direct bilateral assistance to countries hosting Iraqi refugees in recognition of the great strains on their infrastructure, services and local communities, and to help ensure that refugees receive the protection and assistance they deserve. The U.S. should provide supplemental ESF funding to Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt to help their national systems expand to accommodate refugee needs and to ensure that these countries can also continue to deliver basic services to their own citizens without interruption, in particular to citizens most in need.

Provides an additional $700 million to Jordan—a country of only 6 million people that may now be home to as many as 750,000 Iraqi refugees. This is the same level of supplemental ESF funding that the Congress provided to Jordan in 2003 to mitigate the impact of the war on their economy. In late July, the government of Jordan pleaded for urgent assistance to deal with the refugee influx.

Provides an additional $100 million for Lebanon. Estimates are that at least 40,000 and perhaps as many as 200,000 Iraqis have sought refuge in this small country of 4 million that faces significant economic and security challenges.

Allows for an additional $100 million in ESF funding to Egypt. The Government of Egypt estimates that there are 130,000 to 150,000 Iraqi refugees in that country.

HHS and DHS Accounts

HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement ($37.5 million):

Provides the funding required for 20,000 additional Iraqi refugees and 5,000 recipients of Special Immigrant Visas to receive refugee benefits that assist with their integration and special needs

Department of Homeland Security Refugee Corps ($10 million)

Provides funding for additional Refugee Corps Officers to help expedite the processing of an additional 20,000 refugees
Takes into account the resources required for the enhanced security screenings that have been put in place for Iraqi cases.