IOM has issued repeated appeals for increased funds to help the vulnerable among those displaced internally in Iraq. In spite of the appeals only a fraction of internally displaced Iraqis is getting basic assistance.

To demonstrate the seriousness of the situation IOM launched an appeal of 85 million USD for assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Iraq for the next two years. At an IOM press conference organized in conjunction with the UNHCR conference held in Geneva last June I drew the attention of the international community to the fact that, although the problems faced by Iraqis outside their country are grim, those of IDPs inside Iraq are even worse. This effort resulted in good press coverage and we hope it will also result in more funding for assistance projects benefiting IDP communities in Iraq.

Reuters mentioned that the cost of running the war in Iraq is 14 million USD an hour, according to the Congressional Research Service, a bipartisan agency of the U.S. Congress. IOM's 85 million USD request is "the equivalent of six hours of war cost" (Reuters, August 01/2007 By Bernd Debusmann).

Since 2003 IOM Iraq’s IDP Programme has implemented 89 emergency relief campaigns, 81 IDP monitoring operations, 92 community assistance projects including water and sanitation, health, education and income generation projects. However, these are not sufficient to cover the needs of Iraq’s growing IDP populations and those of their impoverished host communities, especially considering that the continuing instability in Iraq is leading to increased numbers of internally displaced. The IOM Iraq Team has the capacity and the will to do much more !

Rafiq A. Tschannen
Chief of Mission IOM Iraq

IOM Displacement Data Used for Associated Press Interactive Website

The Associated Press recently released an interactive website with information on displacement, based on IOM’s data gathered over the past two years, and security incidents in Iraq. This superb interactive provides: Maps with monthly displacement movements and statistics for all governorates and provinces in Iraq Maps with monthly security incidents and detailed information spanning more than two years Personal stories, interviews, articles, and an excellent photo gallery Please see here.