Introduction
As part of the UNAMI mandate to coordinate
and deliver essential humanitarian assistance, the UN Country Team (UNCT)
in collaboration with Iraqi authorities and NGO partners, have a leading
role in emergency preparedness and response activities for Iraq. By using
the Cluster approach to address areas of common concern, UN agencies combine
resources and expertise to implement coordinated emergency humanitarian
responses and regular programme assistance.
When emergency situations arise, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator manages the humanitarian response of the UNCT and its NGO partners through the Emergency Working Group (EWG) in Amman. The EWG benefits from the participation of the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Baghdad as well as NGOs and other stakeholders there. EWG members focus on the material and protection needs of communities affected by armed conflict, internal displacements, or natural disasters.
Emergency Situations and Humanitarian Response Activities
Widespread displacement continued in April as a result of ongoing violence and inter-communal tensions affecting the country. The recent upsurge in displacements, which was primarily triggered by the bombing of the al- Askari Mosque in Samarra on 22 February, precipitated a wave of reprisals in its aftermath. By the end of April, it was estimated that between 11,500 and 14,500 families had become newly displaced since late February. As displacement is continuously taking place, it is difficult to verify these figures without improved security and access for comprehensive monitoring and assessments. Although these recent displacements represent a worrying trend, the UNCT estimates that there are over 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) throughout the country that require longer-term support for basic needs and durable solutions.
The Iraqi government has reportedly allocated US $ 6 million to the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) to finance emergency distributions of food and NFIs to the newly displaced families. In addition, a significant portion of these funds will also be used to establish and maintain IDP camps. The UNCT has consistently taken the position that the establishment of IDP camps should be avoided; and that IDPs ought to be supported through host family arrangements until alternative accommodation and durable solutions can be found. Nevertheless, given the fact that the government has already begun setting up IDP camps and isrequesting assistance from the humanitarian community, the UNCT's IDP Working Group is preparing a guidance note on how the UNCT could support these camps as an option of last resort.
The UNCT is supporting government authorities where possible to respond to the emergency needs of the recently displaced families. IOM provided food and non-food items to over 2,350 IDP families in the Governorates of Anbar, Najaf, Kerbala, Wassit, and Babylon through its NGO partners. UNHCR provided tents and other non-food items to be distributed by the MoDM and NGO partners to IDP families in Najaf, Kerbala, Basrah, Missan, Thi Qar, and Anbar Governorates. In addition, UNICEF continued to provide water-tankering for over 2,000 vulnerable IDP families in Anbar Governorate. Additional UNCT emergency distributions are planned based on assessed needs to complement the government's efforts.
The UNAMI Humanitarian Advisor, who based in Ba is ghdad and working primarily to promote the continued development of the nascent Emergency Coordination and Response Cell initiative of the Prime Minister's office, has been tasked to liaise and coordinate more closely with the MoDM and the Iraqi Red Crescent Society on their joint IDP assistance plans in order to better target UNCT support where appropriate.
A proposal for an initial US $ 3.7 million in emergency funding submitted to the UN Development Group Iraq Trust Fund (UNDG ITF) is still under review. This proposal seeks to allocate a portion of the accrued interest from the UNDG ITF to Cluster F to cover the immediate basic needs of up to 5,000 of the most vulnerable recent IDP families over three months, including the provision of some assistance to the affected host communities. In the meantime, alternate sources of funding are also being considered. It is clear that without additional sources of funding dedicated to the provision of emergency assistance, the operational agencies of the UNCT will be unable to continue supporting the government in responding to such recurring displacement crises.
Towards the end of April, an increased mobilisation of Turkish troops and Iranian military operations along the border areas in northern Iraq reportedly prompted limited and temporary displacements of several hundredfamilies away from border villages. Many of the IDPs were reported to have returned to their homes shortly afterwards. The UNAMI Erbil Area Coordinator and Military Advisors continue to monitor the situation and the potential for further displacements.
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