Home › Where We Work › Middle East › Iraq
Email | Print

Iraq

Field Reports  In-Depth Reports  Letters & Testimonies

Overview
Though the U.S. military's occupation of Iraq has now ended, the country continues to face large scale displacement and pressing humanitarian needs. Millions of Iraqis have fled their homes – either for safer locations within Iraq or to other countries in the region – and are living in increasingly desperate circumstances. Iraq’s future will only be secure and prosperous if the needs of the displaced are also considered in all current and future policies and planning.

Current Humanitarian Situation
Refugees International has observed extreme vulnerabilities among the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees living in Syria, Jordan, and other parts of the region, as well as the millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Iraq, over 500,000 of whom live as squatters in slum areas with no assistance or legal right to the properties they occupy. Most refugees cannot work legally, making it increasingly difficult for them to pay rent and afford school fees for their children. Consequently, some are forced to return to an insecure and unstable Iraq and often find themselves displaced within the country.

While the Government of Iraq is well situated to generate significant revenue from its oil reserves, it will take years if not decades before these resources reach the most vulnerable. Currently the Government of Iraq lacks both the capacity and the political will to use its resources to address humanitarian needs. At the same time, the continued lack of security makes it nearly impossible for UN international staff to access the populations in most need of assistance. Local NGOs often have the best connections and access but are not directly funded by international donors.

Though there have been some returns of both IDPs and refugees, the majority have not been able to access their original homes and properties, which may have been occupied or destroyed. Ongoing violence, especially in the central provinces, coupled with a lack of jobs, basic social services, and opportunities, makes voluntary return impossible for most.  While Refugees International hopes that Iraqis will be able to return to their homes in the future, the necessary conditions for returns to take place in safety and dignity still do not exist.  Local integration of IDPs may be a solution for some and should be actively considered by the Government of Iraq.


Actions Needed

U.S. policy must:

  • Continue to generously fund the UN humanitarian assistance appeal.
  • Continue resettlement for refugees who cannot go home.
  • Pressure the Government of Iraq to meet its responsibilities to its own people.
  • Work closely with the UN to ensure greater UN access inside Iraq.


Field Reports
  • Iraq's Displaced: A Stable Region Requires Stable Assistance
    02/16/2011
    The next two years will be defining ones for the future of Iraq and the United States' legacy in the region. It would be a grave mistake for the U.S. Government to diminish efforts to protect and assist Iraq's displaced. A reduction of funding and diplomacy on the issue could undermine stated U.S. foreign policy goals and lead to the creation of a second large-scale protracted displacement crisis in the Middle East.
  • Iraq: Humanitarian Needs Persist
    03/17/2010
    The humanitarian situation facing Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people is quickly becoming a protracted one for which the U.S. bears special responsibility. Though the country is well positioned to generate vast sums of revenue from its oil, it will take many years before the government is able to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and provide basic services to its people. Ongoing political and security concerns continue to challenge development efforts. It is thus critical that the U.S. and other donors continue to support a strong and expanded humanitarian program, working hand-in-hand with a variety of community development initiatives.
more »
In Depth Reports
  • Uprooted and Unstable: Meeting Urgent Humanitarian Needs in Iraq
    04/15/2008
    Five years after the US -led invasion, Iraq remains a deeply violent and divided society. Faced with one of the largest displacement and humanitarian crises in the world, Iraqi civilians are in urgent need of assistance. Particularly vulnerable are the 2.7 million internally displaced Iraqis who have fled their homes for safer locations inside Iraq.
  • Iraq: The World's Fastest Growing Displacement Crisis
    03/22/2007
    Four years after the U.S. launched its attack against Iraq, the civil war there has produced a humanitarian crisis marked by the world’s fastest growing refugee and internally displaced populations. But Iraq, Washington and the U.N. do not acknowledge the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis. This has led to an inadequate response, both within Iraq and in the region.
Advocacy Letters
more »
Congressional Testimony
more »
Successes
February 2011: After RI called for greater assistance to displaced Iraqis living in squalid squatter settlements, the U.S. government and UNHCR made the provision of assistance to these communities a top priority.  Today, some of the funding helps these Iraqis stay dry from the winter rains, watch their children play in safe spaces, and drink clean water.