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Iraq: Assistance to squatter settlements increased

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 15:36
Seven years after the Iraq war began, nearly 500,000 displaced Iraqis still live in squatter slums amidst garbage dumps, stagnant water and without electricity. RI returned to Iraq and traveled throughout the country to meet with displaced people and called for increased support to vulnerable Iraqis and Palestinian refugees forced to flee Iraq. Because of RI's continued involvement and building awareness on Capitol Hill of the sprawling squatter settlements, US funding was designated to help tens of thousands of Iraqis return to villages in Diyala province. This successful UN-wide and US-backed project helped people access starter homes, education, livestock and tools for farming. Furthermore, UNHCR increased its resources to improve living conditions for displaced Iraqis living in squatter slums.
Successes
  • Colombia: Increased Funding for NGOs
    In October 2011, with serious cuts to foreign assistance looming, RI advocates pushed for and secured $8 million in U.S. aid to Colombian refugees, almost half the total funding for international NGOs working on this issue.
  • Afghanistan: Increased Protection Staff
    Following our June report on Afghanistan, in September 2011 the United Nations High Commission for Refugees increased the number of protection staff to track displacement in the country’s northern regions.
  • Return and Reintegration: Transport for Southern Sudanese back home

    After we sounded the alarm in May 2011, that 5,600 southern Sudanese were stranded in a transit facility south of Khartoum that was built for 800 people, agencies provided transportation to help them return to South Sudan.
  • Peacekeeping: Reconciliation in the DR Congo and Civilian Protection in South Sudan

    In March 2011, two communities in Equateur province in the DR Congo signed a non-aggression pact ending more than a year of deadly conflict.  We are pleased that peace has arrived after the UN and other agencies followed RI’s recommendation to support reconciliation efforts.

    Then in August 2011, as the new UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was being formed, RI was instrumental in pushing the UN Security Council to prioritize the protection of civilians and authorize the greatest possible number of troops.

  • Iraq: Improved Conditions for Iraqis in Squatter Settlements
    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.
  • Statelessness: Ammendment to Laws Affecting Citizenship for Stateless People in the US

    For six years, RI has continued to promote the human rights of the some twelve million people worldwide who lack citizenship. These stateless people are deprived of accessing basic services and exercising their political and civil rights. By prompting positive change in the UN system and strengthening US government attention to the issue, the US refugee bureau gave $320,000 to UN efforts to identify people at risk of statelessness in the Sudan. The US Senate also introduced an amendment to legislation that would create a legal pathway to citizenship for stateless people in the United States. Furthermore, the UNHCR pledged greater attention to stateless people during field visits and requested that the UN General Assembly support efforts to prevent statelessness.

  • Climate Displacement: UN Human Rights Council's Social Forum
    In order to increase awareness of the link between climate change and displacement, The Ken & Darcy Bacon Center for the Study of Climate Displacement assessed climate-related migration and displacement in Senegal and Pakistan, worked closely with congressional leaders to promote the issue, participated in international forums and panel discussions, and hosted education and outreach events. As a result of RI’s time in Pakistan, the report from the UN Human Rights Council's 2010 Social Forum included our recommendations to better protect people displaced by natural disasters.
  • Peacekeeping: Protection of Civillians curriculum development
    RI aims to improve international peacekeepers' efforts to protect civilians from harm. We called for the peacekeeping missions in the Sudan and DR Congo to improve their information-gathering and planning processes. Due to such calls, RI is playing a central role in developing a Protection of Civilians training curriculum for UN peacekeepers. The UN Security Council also included several RI recommendations in a resolution on the UN Mission in Sudan, including the need for a comprehensive protection strategy.
  • Women's Rights: Community Protection Networks
    Systematic targeting of women has become a widespread tactic of war and the stresses of displacement often lead to increased violence against women. RI called attention to the specific needs of women in Haiti, Sudan and the DR Congo and urged the US and key UN agencies to provide more resources to respond to rape and the abuse of women. In Sudan, this translated into the UN providing funding for women's groups who set up community protection networks. Agencies also pre-positioned safe birthing kits and post-rape kits in the run-up to South Sudan's referendum for independence. Coordination in the DR Congo also improved between agencies providing emergency aid and those longer-term programs related to sexual violence, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced a plan to increase communication over the sexual violence strategy with local and national NGOs.
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