Attachments
1. Context
In 2019, Iraq recorded its lowest levels of internal displacement in decades, after multiple waves of displacement linked to armed conflict, ethnic and religious violence, foreign interventions, and political instability.1 The latest of these waves was linked to the conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which displaced six million people between 2014-2017.2 Large-scale IDP returns had already started before the official end of the conflict. However, after a first peak in returns following the campaign to retake the areas from the ISIL group, returns subsequently slowed from 2018, leaving some 1.3 Iraqis internally displaced as of August 2020.3 Most IDPs live in urban areas rather than in camps, but approximately 450,000 people remain in formal camps or informal settlements and collective centres.4 Since July 2019, the Government of Iraq has repeatedly stated its intention to close all the remaining IDP camps, although no official policy on camp closures has been issued publicly.5 Continued social unrest and violence, as well as disasters associated with drought and floods, have further exacerbated the situation and prompted additional displacement.
The Government of Iraq has long recognized displacement as a critical issue. In 2003, it established the Ministry for Displacement and Migration, which adopted the National Policy on Displacement in 2008.6 In 2016, the growing number of returns reflected the increase in territory retaken. In response, the international humanitarian community expanded its focus from emergency protection and assistance, which continues to date, to include assistance for durable solutions. Thus, UN and NGO humanitarian partners established the Returns Working Group, a multi-stakeholder platform intended to strengthen coordination and advocacy on issues related to IDP returns, as set out in the 2016 Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan.7 At sub-national level, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Clusters worked with governorate authorities to address IDP camp closures through Governorate Returns Committees.
Despite the substantial work done on reconstruction and stabilization, the scale of needs of returning IDPs has continued to rise. Many of the almost five million returnees have faced overlapping challenges on their return, including inadequate housing, uncleared rubble, limited livelihood opportunities, insufficient infrastructure, social cohesion issues and hostility from community members. Consequently, a significant number of IDPs have moved back to camps or other locations.8 Most of the remaining IDPs have been displaced for more than four years. Thus, with displacement becoming protracted, it became clear that finding durable solutions required engaging development, peacebuilding and stabilization actors to address the security, infrastructure and social cohesion issues, including community readiness for reintegration, that were blocking sustainable returns. It was also evident that not all IDPs were going to return, necessitating other options to advance to a durable solution beyond return.