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Press Release
22 March 2007
UK gives further £6 million to help tackle growing humanitarian needs in Iraq and neighbouring countries
The Department for International Development (DFID) today more than doubled its support to Iraqis who have fled their homes with a further £6 million for emergency relief.
This brings the UK’s annual support for internally displaced Iraqis and refugees in the region to £10 million and the UK’s total humanitarian contribution for Iraq to over £125 million since 2003.
The new funding will help humanitarian agencies, including the UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency), provide emergency relief, including medical and water supplies, for displaced people in Iraq and neighbouring countries, including Syria and Jordan. We are also supporting the establishment of a UN coordination office in Amman to help coordinate the response effort and get more reliable information about the situation in Iraq and the region.
International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn, said:
“The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes continues to rise and is of serious concern. Many people are living with extended families and the pressure on essential services is now becoming critical. The Government of Iraq must ensure all its citizens have access to basic services.
“This further £6 million will help humanitarian agencies continue their work to support Iraqis who have fled their homes – to seek refuge elsewhere in Iraq or in neighbouring countries – and help secure access to food, water, shelter, health care and essential medical supplies.
“But ultimately, there must be an end to the violence that is responsible for these problems. This is what the Iraqi Government is trying to do, and we will continue to support Prime Minister Maliki’s national reconciliation programme.”
Notes for editors
1. The further £6 million includes £1.5 million in response to the UNHCR’s 2007 appeal for $60 million, to provide assistance to refugees in the region. It also includes £4 million for humanitarian agencies working with Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq (bringing the total to £8 million) and £500,000 to help set up an Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordination office for the humanitarian effort in Amman.
2. Since 2003, the UK has contributed over £125 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq. Additionally, 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. The UN estimates that 1.9 million Iraqis are now internally displaced and approximately 2 million have fled to nearby countries.
For further information, contact 020 7023 0600 or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.
UNHCR
in Iraq