United Nations estimates displaced Iraqis at more than 3 million
By David Shelby, USINFO Staff Writer
Washington - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice established a senior-level State Department task force February 5 to address the growing problem of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The task force draws on department expertise in population movement, refugees, humanitarian assistance and Middle East affairs.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)estimates that there are more than 1.6 million internally displaced persons in Iraq and more than 1.5 million Iraqis that have fled to neighboring countries, primarily Jordan and Syria.
One aid worker managing a State Department funded assistance program for IDPs said, "Iraq, as far as we can tell, is shifting into a country where there are no longer mixed neighborhoods, there are rarely mixed cities. People are moving and shifting across sectarian lines."
She said relatives and co-religionists within the communities receiving refugee flows are welcoming those fleeing the sectarian violence but added, "There are so many displaced people at this point that host population resources are being run dry. ... The communities are running out of the ability to take care of the IDPs that arrive there."
In response to this problem, the State Department devoted nearly $14 million in 2006 to programs aimed at shoring up the resources within host communities across Iraq.
These programs provide emergency provisions for displaced families arriving with few or no belongings. Jay Zimmerman, with the State Department's Office of Population, Refugees and Migration, likened the programs to emergency help shelters in other parts of the world: "You come. You'll meet with social workers. You'll say, 'Here's my problem.' The social workers will sit down and work with you on a plan, decide if you need immediate cash assistance, that's what they give. If you need blankets and clothes and food and they have it, they'll give that to you."
The aid organizations provide shelter, clothing, stoves, fuel, health care, education and vocational training to help new arrivals integrate into their new communities. They emphasize, however, that they do not differentiate between internally displaced persons and residents of the host community. "We provide aid to whoever needs it to prevent any division or resentment," one aid official said.
The aid organizations also carry out small infrastructure projects aimed at improving the community's capacity to handle the increased population. These include repairing roads, digging wells, installing pumps and rehabilitating schools.
In addition to funding work with IDPs inside Iraq, the State Department spent more than $3 million in 2006 on programs aimed at vulnerable Iraqis in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. These programs provide medical care, education and basic nonfood assistance to Iraqis living in often precarious economic and legal circumstances outside their native country.
The State Department also provided more than $18 million in 2006 to international organizations helping to address population displacement. These include UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration. These organizations work to build the Iraqi government's capacity to deal with the problem and also provide direct assistance to the displaced persons.
According to Rice's announcement, the new task force will "devise strategies for Iraqis at risk because of their work with the U.S. government." When Ellen Sauerbrey, assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee January 16 about U.S. efforts to assist displaced Iraqis, several of the senators expressed particular concern for the welfare of those Iraqis who have served the United States in some capacity.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)