2010 UNHCR country operations profile - Iraq

Working environment

The context

Sporadic violence continues in Iraq, although the overall security situation is perceived to have improved. The country is in a state of transition and will see more changes in 2010, including parliamentary elections early in the year. Major development and economic rehabilitation programmes are helping to rebuild infrastucture, but a general lack of access to basic services and employment prevails. Some returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain in circumstances that cry out for humanitarian intervention.

More IDPs and refugees are returning to their areas of origin in Iraq, although large-scale returns have not taken place. Some 300,000 IDPs and nearly 80,000 refugees returned spontaneously in 2008 and 2009. At the same time, the majority of some 1.5 million IDPs have not found solutions to their plight. There are also occasional reports of new displacements. Within Iraq there are some 40,000 refugees, including some 16,000 of Turkish origin. Most of the more than 10,000 Palestinians in Iraq are found in Baghdad, while around 1,400 live in the Al Waleed camp close to the border with the Syrian Arab Republic.

In 2008, the Government's adoption of a national policy on displacement and the issuance of two presidential decrees laid the foundations for the return and reintegration of displaced people. The laws are in the process of being fully implemented.

The needs

Returnees in Iraq encounter, among other things, a lack of physical security, a dearth of livelihood opportunities and difficulties in availing themselves of social services. If returnees are not helped to re-establish themselves in their places of origin, tensions could flare up between them and local people. For their part, many IDPs live in dire conditions and do not have access to assistance. As their displacement proceeds, their need for humanitarian assistance increases. Since 2003, many refugees have been targeted in violent attacks. Although the direct threat has subsided, they remain vulnerable and require protection and basic assistance for their survival.

Main objectives

Favourable protection environment

• Provide protection and assistance to refugees in Iraq.

• Enhance UNHCR's role in advocating for the rights of the stateless.

• Lobby for the implementation of national policies which protect displaced people.

Fair protection processes

• Monitor the protection needs of returnees and IDPs through a network of Protection Assistance Centres and Return, Integration and Community Centres.

Basic needs and services

• Provide humanitarian assistance to refugees, returnees and IDPs.

Community participation and self-management

• Create a broad network of national NGOs that will assist vulnerable displaced people at the community level.

• Contribute to national reconciliation at the community level through co-existence initiatives.

Durable solutions

• Find durable solutions for refugees in Iraq.

• Support the initial reintegration needs of returnees, particularly in the areas of shelter, water and sanitation.

• Encourage the authorities and partners to help improve conditions in return areas and communities of return.

Key targets for 2010

• Some 25,000 vulnerable refugees, IDPs and IDP returnee families benefit from shelter rehabilitation.

• Small scale water and sanitation projects complement shelter programmes.

• At least 35 mobile teams and 14 Protection and Assistance Centres provide legal aid and monitor the needs of people of concern.

• At least 16 Return, Integration and Community Centres enhance safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable returns.

• More than 20,000 IDPs receive legal counselling to provide them with adequate documentation and to raise awareness of their rights.

• 40,000 refugees in camps, settlements and urban settings are assisted while durable solutions, including resettlement, are pursued.

• Refugee status determination is conducted for 1,500 refugees.

• Some 2,000 vulnerable refugee families are referred for resettlement.

• The national NGO partnership programme is expanded.

Strategy and activities

Refugees in Iraq need varied solutions. Some 800 to 1,000 of them will be submitted for resettlement during the year. UNHCR will facilitate the voluntary return of 30 per cent of the Iranian refugees of Kurdish ethnicity in the country. This return operation will be carried out provided the individuals concerned continue to express a wish to return and conditions in the Islamic Republic of Iran permit. UNHCR will also advocate for the right to work for those refugees for whom local integration is a possibility.

Pending appropriate durable solutions, refugees will be provided with basic assistance such as food, water, and health and education services. UNHCR will assist the Government to register asylum-seekers and validate refugee registration records in close cooperation with the authorities. It will also conduct RSD for some 1,500 people. Training and public information campaigns will sensitize local people and the authorities to the protection needs of refugees. The Office will also advocate for Iraq's accession to international refugee instruments.

To raise awareness on statelessness in Iraq, in 2010 UNHCR will hold workshops on the subject with relevant national bodies and stakeholders. A study on statelessness will be undertaken to support advocacy and intervention strategies. The Office will seek to prevent statelessness by providing the necessary civil documents and legal assistance, where possible.

UNHCR facilitates the reintegration of returned refugees to ensure that their returns are sustainable. It continues to advocate for the implementation of national legislation which safeguards the rights of returnees, including the restitution of illegally occupied properties. In this regard, particular attention is paid to housing rights, access to land and personal documentation. In 2010, the Office will identify and monitor the needs of some 50,000 returnees with the help of the Protection and Assistance Centres and the Return, Integration and Community Centres. It will also provide training on returnee rights to some 600 lawyers and 50 Government officials.

UNHCR will provide basic shelter to 25,000 families and support the Government's allocation of land. Together with other agencies, the shelter rehabilitation programme will support the reintegration intitative that the Government leads, particularly in Baghdad and Diyala. Shelter assistance is combined with the rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities, as this has been identified as crucial for the well-being of returnees. The assistance will include destitute IDP families who live in settlements and public buildings without external financial support. Some 150,000 people will receive essential non-food items and hygiene kits. Community-based co-existence programmes will also be implemented.

UNHCR will seek to bridge the gap between humanitarian aid and the longer-term development assistance provided by the Government, UN agencies, NGOs and bilateral agencies. It seeks to establish a referral mechanism so that identified livelihood needs can be referred to existing social services. It will also advocate for the inclusion of returnees in the Government's national development plans and the CCA/UNDAF (Common Country Assessment / United Nations Development Assistance Framework) process.

While some IDPs are returning to their places of origin, others continue to be displaced. Not all IDPs have access to official registration, the lack of which can leave them unaccounted for and in difficult circumstances. The Protection and Assistance Centres in all 18 governorates provide contact points for IDPs and will continue to monitor their situation.

The Office advocates for the rights of IDPs to be safeguarded through appropriate national legislation, especially for those who may be affected by evictions. In some cases, IDPs and returned IDPs need community-based projects to ensure a favourable protection environment. The Office provides legal counselling and personal documentation, as well as legal interventions through the Protection and Assistance Centres, for some 20,000 IDPs.

Constraints

The security situation may deteriorate again. Violence could affect people of concern and hamper UNHCR's access to them.

Organization and implementation

The precarious security situation requires UNHCR to increase investments in the security of staff, including the purchase of body armour and armoured vehicles, and the deployment of close-protection personnel. Those provisions will be implemented in accordance with UN security standards. Security concerns may limit UNHCR's mobility inside Iraq.

Returnees and local communities, as well as more than 80 national NGOs, will be involved in the implementation of UNHCR's programmes. The Office works with UNAMI and other UN agencies under the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and through the UN Country Team. UNHCR chairs the protection team and co-chairs the shelter team under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee cluster approach.

In 2010, UNHCR continues to strengthen its strategic cooperation by leading all actors working with refugees in the development of a Regional Refugee Response Plan, which is a continuation of the process begun with the 2009 regional Consolidated Appeal.

Financial information

UNHCR is expanding its assistance to improve the environment for initial integration of those who chose to return, while assisting refugees and those who are displaced internally. In 2010, the comprehensive budget includes shelter, water and cash incentives, as well as increased engagement of local NGOs and the expansion of Return, Integration and Community Centres. In addition, the budget includes costs for Headquarters and regional support, resettlement, training and publications for advocacy and awareness raising, assistance to Iraqi refugees in Turkey and Iran, and provisions for unforeseen population movements. Pillar 1 includes initial reintegration activities for returned refugees, as well as assistance to refugees inside Iraq. Pillars 3 and 4 include reintegration needs of both returned IDPs and refugees. Security provisions for Iraq are also included, as are planned increases in staffing and offices inside Iraq.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2010-2011