ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) signed an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior on Wednesday, giving Erbil five million dollars to continue providing services for 35 displacement camps across the Region.
A KRG delegation led by Interior Minister Reber Ahmed arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, meeting with relevant authorities to discuss the conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees.
Hoshang Mohammed, director of KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC), told Rudaw that the UN-affiliated agency has granted approximately six billion Iraqi dinars (five million USD) to the Region ”to support the 35 camps in terms of services.”
The JCC “will administer camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), maintenance of camp infrastructure, and water, sanitation and hygiene services to IDPs and Syrian refugees living in camps in KRI,” read a statement published by both the JCC and UNHCR.
The services will provide for over 94,574 refugees and 102,860 IDPs, according to the statement.
The deal “is key to providing services and support to many vulnerable people hosted by the Government of KR, whose lives have been impacted by displacement”, said UNHCR’s Iraq’s representative Philippa Candler.
“The close working relationship between our institutions will also pave the way to seeking durable solutions for refugees and other displaced people in Iraq.”
The agreement comes as human rights organisations warn Iraq is leaving thousands homeless and vulnerable amid a wave of camp closures. The rapid closures have put more than 100,000 people in "tremendous peril", according to the Norweigian Refugee Council (NRC).
Salahaddin and Kirkuk will be “free of camps” in the coming days, Minister of Migration and Displacement Evan Jabro told Rudaw on Monday.
Families who return to their homes are entitled to receive a grant of $1,250 from the migration and displacement ministry to help them resettle back into their communities.
“Authorities should not force camp residents out without first ensuring they have alternative access to shelter, food, water, health care, and other basic services in a safe and secure environment,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.
“Reintegrating families who have spent years in camps back into Iraqi society so they can start to lead a normal life is a positive step.”said Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at HRW. “But the current approach of forcing people out of camps that have provided them with food, shelter, and security for years, often with only 24 hours’ notice, makes them even more vulnerable.”
Ali Abbas, spokesperson for the migration ministry told Rudaw that the situation is “complex” and requires “the help of philanthropists.”
The Islamic State (ISIS) seized control of large swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014, forcing millions of people to flee. Many of the displaced fled to the relative safety of the Kurdistan Region, but others remained in federal Iraq.
Mohammed told Rudaw that the KRG is against the forcible return of IDPS to their areas of origin.
“The interior minister clearly talked about the policy of the Kurdistan Regional Government and reiterated that the Region’s policy is to facilitate voluntary return of the IDPs with dignity,” said Mohammed.
A lack of basic services, destroyed infrastructure, lack of an income and unemployment in areas liberated from ISIS pose barriers to returning home, added the JCC director.
The Kurdistan Region is home to 734,713 IDPs and 258,019 refugees, according to the JCC’s latest report.
Additional reporting by Halkawt Aziz
