Iraqis Still Need Our Help

Following their event on Capitol Hill yesterday, Refugees International has released a report stressing that the situation facing Iraq and its citizens, both refugees and internally displaced persons, is still volatile.

Among the most pressing problems that remain for the community of Iraqi refugees and IDP's (Internationally Displaced Persons) is the lack of basic services within Iraq, which has driven as much as 30% of Iraq's IDP population into the slums. Outside the country, Iraq's refugees still languish in dire conditions. The UNHCR, which oversees the refugees and works to help them is at the time extremely undermanned and underfunded. For the refugees themselves, unemployment is rampant, and many families are separated as men are forced to leave to find work in other countries. For many children, school is not an option because of the costs associated with attending. And these are only a few of the issues.

The RI report proposes that the United States and the international community do more to accommodate for those Iraqis in need, even as United States forces move out of Iraq. Indeed, these coming months and years are critical for the Iraqi refugees and the decisions that are made will effect the entire region. They cannot be forgotten.

Check out and download Refugee International's Field Report here: Iraq: Humanitarian Needs Persist

Washington Post Chat: The Iraqi Refugee Crisis

As part of a five-year retrospective on the Iraq War, the Washington Post hosted an internet chat with Kristele Younes of Refugees International to discuss the plight of displaced Iraqis. Ms. Younes recently returned from visits to Jordan and Syria where she assessed the situation of Iraqi refugees (read her report).

During the wide ranging and informative internet discussion, Ms. Younes tackled a variety of key topics related to the refugee crisis.

On the delay in processing Special Immigrant Visas (SIV):

The Kennedy legislation- increasing the visas to 5,000 -- and its adoption by Congress are definitely positive steps. It is now up to the administration to implement the legislation and ensure it devotes the resources needed for it. Refugees International, as for other advocacy groups, will continue watching. Congress too is watching, and the administration is obliged by law to report to Congress on its progress with the implementation.

On the danger faced by those returning to Iraq:

According to the UNHCR, the conditions in Iraq are absolutely not conducive to return for the moment. This position is supported by the U.S. State Department. Refugees International strongly believes that return should not be encouraged until Iraqis can go home, on their own free will, in safety and dignity.

Obviously, we all hope that Iraqis will be able to return one day. But those who have returned in the last few months- forced to do so because they could no longer survive in exile- have mostly been unable to return to their homes. Seventy percent became internally displaced. Some were attacked or killed. In these conditions, return is not only dangerous for the displaced, it also adds to the potential for increased instability and violence.

And, on what America can do to help out:

It is essential the American public engages on this issue. As this is an electoral year, Americans need to ask all candidates to come up with a plan to deal with the humanitarian crisis. This is a bipartisan issue, and should concern us all. We need to increase assistance to the U.N. and to the region, increase resettlement numbers, increase U.S. engagement in the Middle East, and work on ensuring that whatever military course the U.S. takes in Iraq, it will consider the humanitarian consequences and ensure that civilians will be protected against further violence.

To learn more about what was discussed, read the full transcript.

Report: The Current State of the Crisis

Refugees International has just published this excellent report on the current state of the Iraqi refugee crisis. It is well worth a read, as is this in-depth report on the crisis from the Migration Policy Institute. The latter is quite long but an invaluable resource for learning the nuts and bolts of this issue.

News: Special Visa Created

According to an article by Refugees International:

The 2008 Defense Authorization Act, which was recently signed into law by the President, also established a special P-2 category and a special immigrant visa for Iraqis who have been targeted because of their affiliation with the U.S. government. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass), Gordon Smith (R-Ore), Sam Brownback (R-Kan), Joe Lieberman (D-Conn) and a number of liberal and conservative Senators supported this bipartisan effort.

Hopefully, the special visa will expedite the resettle process for marked Iraqi allies. At the very least, the creation of the visa is an implicit recognition from the administration that Iraqi allies are, in fact, being marked for death and that the U.S. has an obligation to help them. The bipartisanship effort underlies the ultimate humanitarian nature of the refugee issue and thus transcends the confines of Democrat, Republican, left, right, pro-war, anti-war, etc.

Refugee International Policy Recommendations

Refugees International, an advocacy group, has recently recommended policies to help ameliorate the Iraqi refugee crisis. Their recommendation of a US ambassador in Syria makes sense considering that Syria hosts the largest number of Iraqi refugees and that the US ought to seriously act on their behalf. The recommendations are as follows:

1. The U.S. immediately appoint a senior PRM official to be based in the region and charged with coordinating both the assistance and resettlement components of its response;

2. The U.S. immediately appoint an ambassador level diplomat to be based in Syria;

3. The U.S. and other donors provide earmarked bilateral assistance to countries hosting large numbers of Iraqi refugees, either directly or through a Trust Fund established by the UN or the Arab League;

4. The U.S. fund all pending UN appeals at a level of 50% or more;

5. The UN country teams make responding to Iraqi refugees needs a priority, with the UN resident representatives acting as coordinators of the overall national UN response and as liaisons with the diplomatic and donor communities.

Read the whole article here.