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EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Iraq - Key socio-economic indicators (February 2019)

Countries
Iraq
Sources
EU
Publication date
Origin
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Introduction

This report was drafted by the Migration Office of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic (Department of Documentation and Foreign Cooperation) together with the EASO COI sector.
The report aims to provide information on key socio-economic indicators in Iraq focusing on Basrah, Erbil, and Baghdad, and highlighting aspects of the situation of women and IDPs in those areas. Such information is relevant for international protection status determination (PSD; refugee status and subsidiary protection). The terms of reference can be found at the end of this report.
This report is focused on socio-economic aspects only; issues of access/entry/freedom of movement are not covered in this report. Those aspects are covered under the EASO COI Report on Iraq: Internal mobility.
This report should be read in conjunction with the EASO COI report, EASO COI Report - Iraq:
Internal mobility, which provides additional information on issues of access, freedom of movement, relocation, and civil documentation, as well as practical and legal requirements for entry and residence.

Methodology

The definition of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the report was based on the Iraqi context, taking into account a survey sent to EU+ countries2 prior to the development of the ToR. Outcomes of the survey were taken into account in the development of the ToR. It was determined that the report will concentrate information on the main urban areas of Basrah, Erbil, and Baghdad, within the relevant national context. Members of the EASO COI Specialist Network and the EASO Country Guidance Network were consulted and gave input on the ToR prior to its finalisation.
Information in the report is the result of desk research of public, specialised paper-based and electronic sources over the period of July 2018 – August 2018, and additional information was added as part of a quality review in August - September 2018 by EU+ COI experts, EASO, and an external reviewer, Dr Geraldine Chatelard. This quality review process led to the identification of several key points for improvement and a second review by Dr Chatelard and EASO during December 2018. For quality control purposes, a review was carried out by COI specialists from the countries and experts listed in the Acknowledgmentssection of this report. All comments made by reviewers were taken into consideration and most of them were implemented in the final draft of this report. During this quality review process, new information was included. Furthermore, two newly published key sources (IOM Integrated Location Assessment III and UNOCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for Iraq – 2019) were added after the review process ended, as these were key sources in the original draft that required updating.
The general time frame set for the content of this report was to capture trends in 2017-2018, referencing relevant context related to the ISIL conflict since 2014. Drafters noted that not all sources clearly indicated whether information related to Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) or not. Sometimes a distinction is noted in the source, while at other times it was not.
Where possible, the distinction is made in the report.

Structure and use of the report

The report aims to provide relevant information for the assessment of international protection status determination, including refugee status and subsidiary protection, as well as for use in the development of EASO’s country guidance exercise on Iraq.
The report is divided into chapters relating to relevant sectors: economic overview, employment and livelihoods, poverty, food/water security, housing and living conditions, health, education, support and assistance, and (informal) networks of support. Within each chapter, there is general information, and where available, specific city or governorate level information for Basrah, Erbil,
Baghdad, as well as for women, children, and IDPs.