Briefing on Iraq Displacement

Statement by Rafiq Tschannen

Chief of Mission for Iraq and Jordan

International Organization for Migration (IOM)

 

House Foreign Affairs Committee

Sub-Committee on the Middle East and Asia and

Sub-Committee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight

26 February 2008

 

 

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Sub-Committees, Ladies and Gentlemen;

 

On behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), let me express my appreciation for the invitation extended to brief you today on the situation of internally displaced Iraqis.

 

Background: IOM and Assistance Programs for Iraqis

 

IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and has helped more than 12 million migrants since its establishment in 1951. IOM maintains more than 400 field locations throughout the world.  The IOM-Iraq Mission was set up in January 2003 in response to the overwhelming humanitarian need following the collapse of the former regime. Working in a wide range of areas across every governorate in Iraq, IOM has maintained a presence and provided significant humanitarian assistance despite a number of challenges, including continuous security constraints.

 

IOM has numerous programs that assist Iraqis throughout the region.  In Iraq, IOM’s programs include Capacity Building in migration management for various Iraqi Ministries and Capacity Building of the Ministry of Migration (formerly the Ministry of Displacement and Migration); the Iraq Property Claims Program, which builds the capacity of and provides support to the Iraqi Commission for Resolution of Real Property Disputes; Iraqis Rebuilding Iraq, which recruits qualified Iraqi expatriates to participate in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq; the Medical Evacuation Program, which links Iraqis who need urgent medical care with pro-bono medical assistance in the region or abroad; Assisted Voluntary Returns to assist Iraqis who wish to return home; and the Program for Human Security and Stabilization in Iraq, which delivers employment assistance services to unemployed and disadvantaged communities affected by the conflict.

 

IOM Iraq’s largest program since 2003 has been our IDP Program, due to the urgent need to assist the millions of IDPs who have been displaced throughout the county. 

 

The Displacement Crisis

 

Iraq is experiencing the worst human displacement of its history, with over 2.4 million persons displaced within its borders and almost 2.5 million who have fled the country to the surrounding region.  This mass displacement has become both a regional and international crisis.

 

Iraq has a long history of displacement.  Almost half of current IDPs were displaced during previous decades due to the policies of the previous regime and various conflicts.  These included human rights abuses; internal conflict along political, religious and ethnic lines; the Iraq-Iran and Gulf Wars; drainage of the Marshlands in the south; construction of dams in the center; suppression of the 1991 uprising in the south; competition over land and national resources; as well as the previous policies of “Arabization” .

 

Between 2003 and 2005, some 402,000 people were displaced, although about half of these IDPs have returned home. Military operations were the primary reason for this displacement, as well as secondary displacement of Arabs caused by returning Kurds.

 

Although there are many older IDP caseloads in Iraq, since the bombing of the Samarra mosque in February 2006 the primary driver of displacement has been sectarian violence, in addition to military operations, armed conflict, and general crime and violence. IOM’s IDP assessments, which cover over 920,000 of an estimated 1.2 million people displaced since February 2006, find that 86% of IDPs displaced since that date say they were targeted due to their religious or sectarian identity.

 

Monthly displacement rates decreased significantly in 2007 due to many factors, including improved security and the homogenization of communities.  However, displacement continues, especially in unstable areas such as Kirkuk, Salah al Din, Ninewa, and Diyala, with the potential for increased displacement along the Turkish border.  In addition, the conditions of those already displaced continue to worsen.

 

The Situation for Iraqi Returnees

 

An improved security situation is drawing Iraqis back to their homes and neighborhoods.  However, their desperate situation in places of displacement both inside Iraq and in neighboring countries is also forcing Iraqis to return home.  Increased visa restrictions, illegal status, no income, and lack of access to health and education all contribute to deteriorating conditions for displaced Iraqis.  In addition, the Government of Iraq is providing IDP returnees and some refugee returnees with the equivalent of $800 upon return.  However, many Iraqis cannot return home because someone occupies their home, their home has been damaged or destroyed, or their former neighborhoods have become cleansed and are no longer safe.  Many returnees are therefore returning into displacement.

 

The estimated number of returnees varies greatly, with little clarity on accurate numbers.  The Iraqi Red Crescent reported that 46,000 Iraqis had returned from Syria as of December.  The Ministry of Migration reports that almost 5,000 returnee IDP families (about 30,000 individuals) have completed or are processing their returnee registration in Baghdad.  Total returnee figures vary widely, from 40,000 to 100,000.  However, this is at most only 2% of the almost five million Iraqis who have fled their homes.

 

 

Population Movement Patterns

 

Over the past two years, Iraqi IDPs moved from mixed communities to religiously and ethnically homogenous communities: Shias tended to move south and Sunnis north towards the central or upper-central governorates. 65% of IDPs fled from or within Baghdad, which is also seeing the most returns.  Within large cities like Baghdad or Baqubah, IDPs tend to move within the city from mixed to homogenous neighborhoods.

 

Many Iraqis who had the ability to leave the country did so, with the majority of them becoming refugees in neighboring Jordan and Syria.  Increased entry restrictions in these and other neighboring countries and even in provinces within Iraq itself have resulted in fewer and fewer safe havens for fleeing Iraqis.

 

The Humanitarian Assessment

 

The prolonged nature and increased scale of displacement has produced a serious humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Displacement deprives families of their income and resources, rendering them unable to provide for themselves in their new locations. Displacement also strains the host communities who share their services and resources with the displaced

 

Shelter is a top priority need reported by IDPs. Of those IDPs assessed by IOM, 60% rent often substandard housing, 17% stay with a host family or relatives, and 23% live in camps, public buildings or group settlements. As rent prices rise, savings run out, and the burden increases on host households, many IDPs are seeking more sustainable living arrangements. An increasing number of IDPs are living in settlements or camps, posing serious challenges for the short-term delivery of aid and longer-term implementation of durable solutions.

 

Food is also a top priority need reported by IDPs.  Much of the Iraqi population depends upon the government’s food rations, but there is a widespread lack of access to these distributions due to political manipulations, limited resources, logistical difficulties, and insecurity. IOM assessments find that the situation is especially dire among the displaced, with almost 80% of those assessed reporting no or intermittent access to food rations.

 

Employment is needed by all Iraqis, who experience anywhere from 40 - 60% unemployment, which is even higher within displaced communities. Much of the immediate IDP humanitarian need is due to loss of income during displacement, and the crisis may worsen as prolonged displacement exhausts IDP finances.

 

Health care has deteriorated greatly in Iraq due to the exodus of qualified professionals, a severe shortage of medication and equipment, and damage to medical facilities. Many of the displaced live in substandard conditions and lack basic services, increasing their risk of disease, as was seen with the recent cholera outbreak. IOM assessments find that 34% of IDPs cannot access required medications, and 14% have no access to health care.

 

Water & sanitation is a growing concern among many of the most vulnerable IDP and host community groups, particularly those in camps or neighborhoods where basic services are either non-existent or overwhelmed. Many IDPs rely on water trucking or host communities’ generosity for water, while others have no potable water and drink from rivers or drainage ditches. Of those IDPs assessed by IOM, 16% reported that they do not have regular access to water.

 

Education is an important issue for IDPs, half of whom are under the age of 18. Host community schools are severely overcrowded due to the influx of IDP children, exacerbating social tensions. Some families cannot afford school materials and instead their children are required to work as the sole source of income for the family.

 

 

 

 

Meeting the Humanitarian Need

 

IOM is a lead organization in the delivery of emergency assistance and community assistance projects within Iraq. Despite security limitations, IOM has been able to deliver aid and implement projects throughout Iraq by coordinating closely with partners on the ground. IOM projects have reached 5 million beneficiaries since 2003.  Since 2003, IOM has implemented 131 Community Assistance Projects. In the past two years alone, IOM carried out 50 food and non-food item distributions that reached over 300,000 of the most vulnerable IDPs and host community members.

 

IOM Monitoring and Needs Assessments provide in-depth assessment data and analysis on Iraqi displacement with biweekly reports that inform the US Government, Iraqi government, humanitarian community and other stakeholders about the displacement and returnee situation in Iraq. IOM is now broadening its focus to include assistance to returnees.  In addition, IOM is building the capacity of the Ministry of Migration for IDP and returnee registration, analysis, reporting, and assistance coordination. 

 

However, the needs of the displaced remain great and their conditions continue to deteriorate.  IOM is actively working to alleviate this crisis, but funding remains limited. 

 

USG Assistance

 

IOM is extremely appreciative of the funding that the US Government has provided to assist IDPs.  Since 2003, IOM has received $3.4 million from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and $32 million from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, making the US Government IOM’s largest donor to assist IDPs.

 

Coordination

 

IOM coordinates closely with many actors for all of its activities in Iraq.  IOM is a member of the UN Country Team and works closely with UN agencies such as UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF when planning and implementing activities.  IOM recently coordinated with UNHCR, UNAMI, and the Government of Iraq in the development of a Rapid Response Plan for Immediate Assistance to Iraqi Returnees that was launched on December 4. IOM was also involved in the United Nations’ consolidated appeals. IOM projects included in this appeal total $13.8 million and cover immediate emergency humanitarian activities such as food distributions, capacity building in emergency assistance for the Ministry of Migrations’ branch offices, reducing the threats of forced evictions, and emergency needs assessments.  I was honored to attend the launch of the CAP appeal in Baghdad on February 12.

 

The Way Forward

 

We must now look at the future of displaced Iraqis and how to best plan for their assistance. IOM assessments find that almost 60% of IDPs intend to return to their place of origin, while the remainder intend to integrate in their place of displacement or resettle in a third location. As insecurity continues and communal divisions harden, increasing numbers of IDPs may settle permanently; however, the fact remains that the majority of the displaced intend to move again.

 

Given the continuous migration, together with the reality of continuing displacement and insecurity, the humanitarian crisis among the displaced and returnees could continue and may well worsen. Despite insecurity, IOM and other humanitarian actors have the capacity to deliver more aid. Although international awareness of the Iraqi displacement crisis has grown considerably in the past year, funding remains insufficient. IOM has received barely 28% of its $85 million funding appeal for 2007-2008, with the United States, through OFDA, being the largest donor, and the one whose support has been most consistent. Lack of funding remains the primary constraint on IOM’s ability to reach IDP and returnee beneficiaries and improve their often desperate conditions. IOM remains committed to help those who wish to return do so in safety and dignity, as well as assist those who continue to live in displacement in order to help improve the lives of all Iraqis.

 

In addition to IDPs it is also becoming important and urgent to plan for the Demobilisation and Re-Integration of ex-combatants.     More than 100’000 potential militants are at present being paid salaries by the US military.   The integration of this case load into the normal work-force  is a top priority.     IOM has experience in similar projects in many parts of the world.  One pilot project is already active in Iraq.