IOM report analyses changing needs of IDPs in Iraq
- Countries
- Iraq
- Sources
- IOM
- Publication date
- Origin
- View original
IOM Iraq maintains a sizeable body of field staff operating throughout the country. These staff members continuously monitor the needs and conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnee families, and vulnerable host communities by consulting local councils, mayors, mosques, churches, mukhtars, community leaders, and the families them-selves. Our field monitors conduct beneficiary and location assessments to gather extensive information, at the family, community, and governorate levels, regarding demographics, socio-economic circumstances, migration activity, living conditions, and reported needs. Monitors play an important role in information collection and dispersal, as well as in the coordination and delivery of timely assistance. They also communicate with government officials and staff of international agencies and local NGOs in order to identify overall trends and locations of greatest need. The monitoring program has experienced several phases of operation, the two most recent occurring between January 2009 and November 2010 (Phase IV) and November 2010 and June 2012 (Phase V). Phase IV resulted in a nationwide update of all IDP locations using a group approach and repeated visits for verification of locations, needs, intentions, and numbers of IDP families. Over 188,000 IDPs were assessed during this phase. During Phase V, IOM broadened the scope of the assessment to include returnees and vulnerable host communities. Field teams re-ported on the needs of vulnerable communities as a whole, including their socio-economic and demographic characteristics, access to services, infra-structural needs, and additional con-textual information. During Phase V the teams visited more than 2,800 locations, interviewed over 29,000 families, and completed more than 2,000 service mapping reports. It is on these two surveys that this report is based.