EU donates $3.3m for displaced Iraqis

The European Union (EU) has donated three million euros ($3.3m) to the UN Refugee Agency to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq.

There are still 1.5 million Iraqis who face risks and hardships after being forced to leave their homes, according to the UNHCR. Although faced with similar dangers as refugees, IDPs still live within their own countries’ borders.

The EU funds will provide legal assistance and civil documentation to over 30,000 people, and will help sustain effective management and bolster infrastructures of refugee camps in northern Iraq, namely the Niniveh Governorate.

This service is crucial to IDPs, as access to legal assistance and documentation is important for them to be able to establish their legal identity, access public services, and return to their homes.

Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said "This new humanitarian assistance will be instrumental to help the most vulnerable populations in Iraq, especially the displaced. It is essential for the stability of the country. The people of Europe stand in full solidarity with the people of Iraq in this critical phase."

This funding will ensure that the 8,300 families in Ninewa Governorate, currently living in UNHCR-managed camps, will be returned to their homes “ in a safe and sustainable manner”.

The latest wave of displacement occurred with the Islamic State group's invasion in 2013, adding to the 2.1 million people that were already internally displaced, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

"While the situation in Iraq has notably improved during the past years and the country is steadily transitioning and advancing into a new post-conflict phase, we need to continue supporting its people in their recovery and reconstruction efforts,” said Ayman Gharaibeh, UNHCR Representative in Iraq.