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UNHCR Iraq Factsheet - May 2018

Countries
Iraq
+ 1 more
Sources
UNHCR
Publication date
  • 249,641 Syrian refugees registered as of April 30

  • 32,159 Persons of concern reached with protection monitoring in April

  • 17,727 Persons of concern received cash assistance in April

  • 6,614 Persons of concern received shelter assistance in April

  • 16,194 Persons of concern received CRI assistance in April

Working with Partners

  • UNHCR is engaged in the inter-agency response for ongoing displacement and returns.

  • UNHCR leads the Protection, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), and Shelter/Non-Food Items (also known as core relief items or CRIs) clusters, as part of the cluster coordination mechanism for IDP response.

  • UNHCR is also co-leading, with UN Habitat, the Working Group on Sustainable Solutions for IDPs within the Resilience and Recovery Programme (RRP) for Iraq.

  • Through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), UNHCR leads the humanitarian response for Syrian refugees in coordination with authorities.

  • UNHCR collaborates with authorities in the Central government and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) to protect and assist refugees and asylum-seekers, and on the prevention of statelessness.

Main Activities

Protection

  • Refugees – UNHCR coordinates with Government, UN agencies, local and international partners, on the response for refugees, including activities related to registration, protection monitoring and advocacy, legal aid, psychosocial support, child protection, and prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Resettlement to third countries is pursued for a small number of refugees with acute vulnerabilities.

  • IDPs – Direct interventions are undertaken with local, regional and national authorities to ensure that the displaced can access safety in camps and in non-camp locations. Protection monitoring teams have been deployed to identify protection and assistance needs, which directly inform protection responses, including provision of legal assistance on a range of issues such as missing civil documentation, prevention and response to SGBV and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), child protection, reunification of separated families, and the coordination of IDP protection responses with the government, NGOs and other UN agencies.

  • IDP Returns – Voluntary, safe and dignified returns is a strategic priority for UNHCR and the humanitarian community in Iraq. UNHCR monitors the return of displaced persons to their areas of origin and advocates with authorities when there are incidents of barred returns, risks of forced or pressured returns to areas which are unsafe due to contamination of explosive remnants of war (ERW) and improvised explosive devices (IED), presence of militias, proximity to conflict areas, widespread destruction of property, and/or the absence of critical infrastructure and basic services.

Shelter and NFIs

  • UNHCR provides shelter assistance and CRIs, and coordinates with humanitarian actors to complement the work of local authorities to improve living conditions of vulnerable IDPs in camp and non-camp settings throughout Iraq.

  • Approximately 511,000 IDPs in Iraq are hosted in 133 camps, of which UNHCR has built or rehabilitated 35.
    UNHCR is also engaged in the provision of assistance to non-camp IDPs.

  • 97% of Syrian refugees in Iraq live in the KR-I; 37% stay in 9 camps, with the remainder living in urban and periurban areas. Shelter priorities for Syrian refugees include the improvement and upgrading of shelters. Of the approximately 18,000 plots in refugee camps in the KR-I, over 98% have been improved with concrete bases and an individual kitchen, latrine, and shower. Over 88% have been upgraded with solid house-like structures, which includes concrete bases, concrete block wall, sandwich panel roof, and an individual kitchen, latrine, and shower.

Camp Coordination and Camp Management

  • As the CCCM Cluster lead, UNHCR works with local authorities and humanitarian actors to provide coordinated services to IDPs. In camps, this translates to ensuring adequate shelter, delivery of food and water, presence of education and health facilities, and capacity building for camp management actors and service providers. The CCCM Cluster supports efforts to identify suitable sites for camps and ensure that services are readily available upon arrival of IDPs. Mobile teams from partners provide CCCM services to camps and out-of-camp settlements throughout Iraq.