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Press Release
09 October 2007
UK announces additional £5 million for humanitarian efforts in Iraq
In a move to strengthen the humanitarian efforts of aid agencies working in Iraq and neighbouring countries, the UK’s Department for International Development today announced that it will contribute an additional £5 million package of assistance for those most vulnerable.
This new contribution brings total of the UK’s humanitarian assistance to Iraq to £15 million this year. The latest funding will be focused on aid to Iraqis displaced within Iraq and the region, particularly women and children who are the largest groups in need of humanitarian assistance.
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said:
“The UK will today make available a further £5 million as part of our commitment
to addressing the humanitarian needs of those vulnerable Iraqis displaced in
Iraq and the surrounding region due to ongoing violence.”
Since 2003, DFID has committed over £130 million to support the preparation and
delivery of assistance by international humanitarian agencies. Consideration for
further assistance will be in line with emerging needs.
Notes for Editors
1. The UN estimates that over two million Iraqis are internally displaced,
with a further two million displaced across the region. Many of those are often
denied sufficient protection and access to basic services, while health
facilities and public services are often inadequate to meet demand.
2. In addition to over £130 million that the UK has given in response to appeals
for humanitarian relief efforts in Iraq and neighbouring countries, DFID has
provided £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq,
which helps support internally displaced people through the UN Trust Fund.
3. UK assistance to Iraq this year has gone to humanitarian agencies
providing
emergency assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups in Iraq. Funding has
also been used to set up an
OCHA coordination office for the humanitarian effort
in Amman and to
UNHCR’s appeal to help refugees in neighbouring countries.
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