December 2010 Background • UNHCR has been present in Iraq since the 1980s protecting refugees and asylum seekers. While Iraq is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol it has been long hosting, with UNHCR’s assistance, Palestinian, Iranian, Turkish and Syrian refugees. After the fall of the previous regime in 2003, UNHCR’s programme included assisting returning refugees as well as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). After the Samara Shrine bombing in February 2006 and the sectarian violence that followed, UNHCR’s responsibility was expanded to assisting IDPs. The main government partners are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MODM), the Bureau of Displacement and Migration (BDM) and the Ministry of Interior. • UNHCR facilitates the return of people who decide to voluntary return to Iraq from neighbouring countries and IDPs from areas of displacement to their areas of origin. UNHCR has recorded 544,980 Iraqi refugee returnees and IDP returnees between January 2008 and December 2010. Out of this total, 15% are refugees, the rest are IDPs. Most people return to Baghdad and Diyala. UNHCR has registered some 198,000 Iraqi refugees in neighbouring countries including 141,558 in Syria, 30,786 in Jordan and 8,090 in Lebanon. • An estimated 1.5 million are internally displaced in Iraq, including 500,000 very vulnerable people who live in dire conditions in settlements or in public buildings. Assisting these people is a priority for UNHCR in 2011. • Prime Minister’s Order 101, issued in August 2008, facilitates the return of refugees and IDPs in Baghdad through the restitution of illegally occupied properties. The Council of Ministers’ Order 262 provides registered returnee families with a grant of one million Iraqi Dinars (US$ 840). In 2009, Order 101 was extended to Diyala (Order No. 54) calling for close collaboration with international agencies. UNHCR is coordinating the UN transitional efforts for the “Diyala Initiative” together with the Government of Iraq. • UNHCR has well-established Protection and Assistance centres (PACs) coupled in mid-2009 with the launching of the Return, Integration and Community Centres (RICCs). For 2011, the centres - with the exception of Baghdad- should be combined for better efficiency. 4 PACs and RICCS have already merged (Mosul, Kirkuk, Baquba and Ammara). The centres increase outreach to the communities through provision of legal services, protection monitoring, operations coordination, needs assessment, social and information assistance. • Shelters, along with livelihoods, continue to be one of the key concerns of returnees; 60% of assessed IDPs reported that their houses are damaged, destroyed or occupied by others which can impact their decision to return. REFUGEES & ASYLUM SEEKERS RETURNEES (Refugees, IDPS) & IDPS Pending durable solutions through voluntary returns, resettlement SHELTER: 5055 shelters completed as part of rehabilitation and to third countries or local integration, protection and material reconstruction plan for returnees, with a focus on the Central region assistance for some 37 ,728 refugees will continue to be provided in where higher number of returns occur . camps, settlements and individual urban refugees. UNHCR has 13 WAT/SAN: 27 minor water and sanitation projects linked to the refugee camps and settlements in Iraq, the major ones are in shelter rehabilitation with direct and communal impacts. Western Anbar (Al Waleed camp for Palestinians, Iranian Kurds REINTEGRATION support continued through 16 RICCs: 6 in and Ahwazis); in Ninewa (Makhmour for Turkish Kurds); in Erbil Baghdad, 7 in Salah Al-Din, Diyala, Anbar, Basrah, Missan, Ninewa (Kawa for Iranian Kurds); and in Sulymaniyah (Barika settlement for and Kirkuk (3 to be identified). Iranian Kurds). Targeted assistance is provided to scattered urban LEGAL ASSISTANCE through 15 PACs and 40 mobile teams , refugees Iraq-wide including Ahwazis in the South. UNHCR possible consolidation in areas where RICCs are functional (two of continues to search for durable solutions for refugees who do not the PACs have already merged with existing RICCs). have potential for return or local integration inside Iraq. Palestinian SUPPORT to MODM-managed RACs in Baghdad: registration, refugee cases in Al Waleed camp will continue to be submitted by access to the GOI return assistance grant and property restitution. UNHCR for resettlement in 2011. At March 2010, the GoI reports that 48,164 returnee families Camps/settlements FAM. IND. received the returnee cash grant of one million Iraqi Dinars (approx. Makhmour refugee camp, Ninewa 2,561 11,959 USD 850) out of the 62,402 registered with MoDM. Barika settlement, Sulymaniyah 397 2,020 DIYALA INITIATIVE a multi-partner effort in support of the Iraq Government to assist the return and reintegration of returnees to an Kawa settlement, Erbil 238 1,343 area severely devastated by terrorism and sectarian violence. TOTAL 3,196 15,322 ESSENTIAL ITEM: 38,828 standard kits plus 3,480 non-standard kits of Non-Food Items and hygiene items (105.8%) were Refugee camp s/ settlements in Centre Iraq distributed in 2010 to vulnerable families: IDPs, returnees, Camp/settlement FAM. IND. refugees, asylum seekers with focus on IDPs in settlements. Al Waleed Camp (Palestinians) 80 241 IDP SETTLEMENTS, housing vulnerable displaced will receive Al Waleed Camp (Iranian Kurds) 37 174 essential items, shelter assistance and advocacy with authorities to Al Waleed Camp (Ahwazis) 26 101 protect from arbitrary eviction. Others 3 24 CONTINGENCY stock of NFI for 100,000 persons TOTAL 146 540 COMMUNITY-BASED support to communities via multi-sector micro-projects directly targeting returnee and IDP-hosting communities through the N/NGO Partnership Empowerment For more information contact Scheme, encompassing 135 national NGOs. Helene Caux, Senior External Relations Officer RETURNS MANAGEMENT to ensure refugees/IDPs have E-mail: [email protected] sufficient knowledge to make informed choices about return, expanded border monitoring, returnees interviews, information dissemination on conditions in Iraq. December 2010 COORDINATION WITH UN AGENCIES Population of Concern Internally Displaced Persons * UNHCR collaborates with other UN agencies on the ground Timeframe Individuals Post Feb. 2006 1,552,003 through the Protection and Shelter Outcome Teams where UNHCR leads Protection and co-leads Shelter with UN-Habitat as the lead. Total 1,522,003 Post February 2006 only COUNTERPARTS AND IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS Government of Iraq: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Registered Refugees in Iraq Origin Cases Individuals Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) Palestine 3,077 10,743 Ministry of Interior (MoI) Implementation and Follow-up Committee for Syria 59 287 National Reconciliation (IFCNR) Iran 1,683 8,079 Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) Turkey 3,249 15,516 Bureau of Displacement and Migration (BDM) Others 8 30 International NGOs: 12 Total 8,076 34,655 National NGOs Direct Partnership: 17 UNHCR statistics as at December 2010 National NGOs Indirect Partnership: 135 Asylum-Seekers Hosted in Iraq Origin Cases Individuals UNHCR Presence and Outreach Iran 571 1,598 Syria 342 1,249 UNHCR Presence and Offices Turkey 61 219 Others 3 7 Branch Office Baghdad 60 staff Total 977 3,073 Sub Office Erbil 21 staff UNHCR statistics at December 2010 Field Office Basrah 7 staff Field Office Mosul 7 staff Voluntary Return of Iraqis (Individuals) Year IDPs Refugees Field Office Kirkuk 6 staff Support Unit Amman 22 staff 2008 195,890 25,370 Support Unit Kuwait (CBBK) 2 staff 2009 167,740 37,090 Total 2008/2009 363,630 62,460 Centre Field Locations (Al Waleed, Ramadi, 19 staff January 2010 8,780 2,820 Baquba/Diyala , Karbala, Kut, Najaf, Hilla, February 2010 7,320 2,160 Samara, Trebil) March 2010 14,630 2,450 April 2010 6,600 2,130 North Field Locations (Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah) 10 staff May 2010 9,100 2,610 June 2010 9,440 2,480 South Field Locations (Missan, Nassiriyah) 5 staff July 2010 7,230 1,740 Total 159 staff August 2010 8,360 1,850 (137 inside Iraq) September 2010 6,880 1,290 UNHCR Outreach October 2010 4,770 2,600 Protection and Assistance Centres (PACs) Centre 43 staff November 2010 4,950 2,060 North 39 staff December 2010 4,420 2,220 South 43 staff Grand total for 2010 92,480 26,410 Total PACs 125 staff Resettlement Statistics January 2008 to December 2010 Country of Return Integration Community Centres (RICCs) Total Total Resettle- Iranians Palestinians Others Individuals Individuals Centre 126 staff ment submitted submitted ** submitted departed North 13 staff South 20 staff AUL No Quotas Total RICCs 159 staff BEL No Quotas CAN No Quotas DEN 48 62 110 55 GRAND TOTAL 435 staff FIN 39 23 62 13 FRA 16 118 134 100 UNHCR Staffing as at December 2010 GER No Quotas ICE 59 59 37 LUX 1 1 NET 29 44 73 43 UNHCR Iraq Country Budget NOR 60 206 1 267 177 Year Total Budget NZL 11 31 42 24 POR 5 5 SWE 76 256 13 345 206 2010 $ 264,285,225 SWI 5 5 1 UK 12 31 43 32 Iraq country budget is part of the UNHCR’s Regional USA 108 1211 10 1314 1148 TOTAL 400 2046 24 2462 1836 Appeal for the Iraq Situation of USD 508,166,791 ** Other nationalities submitted include a total of 4 Somali nationals, 1 Ethiopian national and a total of 18 Syrians. .