Additional urgent support needed for IDPs as the winter has arrived [EN/KU]

Close to half of all displaced Iraqis are in the KR-I

Erbil, 23 December – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the United Nations (UN) have taken stock of progress made in the last months to respond to the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs). They have identified an urgent requirement for an additional US$152.2 million of funding to cover the basic needs of close to a million displaced Iraqis across the KR-I as part of their revised Immediate Response Plan II (IRP2).

“Despite the challenges, much progress in the provision of food, shelter, and health was made but we need to do more to reduce the suffering of people who fled the conflict,” Dr Ali Sindi, the KRG Planning Minister said, citing the priority issues of winterisation, food, and comprehensive IDP registration. “It’s vital we stay the course.”

According to the Kurdish Ministry of Planning and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), close to half of all Iraq’s 2.1 million displaced are now in the KR-I. As people continue to flee ongoing violence, some 946,000 Iraqis (157,000 families) have sought sanctuary in the region since January. This includes 86,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the release of the first IRP in September, which laid out a 60-day action plan for how to meet the most urgent needs of IDPs in the areas of shelter, food, health, water and sanitation.

With the initial period of the IRP having ended on 15 November, the KRG and the UN, with participation from key NGOs, undertook a rapid review process to identify achievements and identify any unmet needs.

The IRP2 covers the period of 15 November 2014 through 31 March 2015, with a particular focus on shelter, food, water and sanitation, health, education, and registration.

“The winter months are particularly worrisome. It’s cold and the worse is yet to come,” Jacqueline Badcock, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, said. “It’s critical we step up our efforts.”

“It’s important that registration efforts are comprehensive to facilitate the delivery of targeted humanitarian assistance and protection,” Dr Ali Sindi added. “The hosting of IDPs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has placed an immense burden on our resources which is no longer sustainable. We cannot shoulder the burden alone and will need additional international support, particularly during the winter months.”

The IRP2 for the KR-I is an operational sub-set of the revised US$2.23 billion Iraq Strategic Response Plan launched in October, which aims to address the protection and humanitarian needs of 5.2 million Iraqis across the country through 2015.