March 18, 2008
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The war that was launched in Iraq five years ago has produced one of the largest humanitarian crises of our time. Yet this crisis is largely hidden from the public and ignored by the international community. More than four million Iraqis of different religions, ethnicities and backgrounds are estimated to be uprooted by horrific violence and death and are in dire need of help. About half have fled to Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and elsewhere in the region.
Because they are not huddled together in a camp or traveling as a group across a windswept plain, these refugees are not receiving the attention and help they deserve from the international community. Much of the reporting about them has been wrong, perpetuating myths that they are wealthy or that the crisis is over and that many are returning to their homes in Iraq. The solutions put forward by major donors have been wholly inadequate. Meanwhile, many of the refugees have been severely traumatized and now lead desperate lives in foreign cities such as Damascus, Amman, Cairo and Beirut.
This report is based on the visit of the International Rescue Committee's Commission on Iraqi Refugees to Jordan and Syria in February 2008. During our visit, we met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials from the governments of Syria, Jordan, Iraq and the United States. We also met with dozens of refugees in Jordan and Syria and with U.N. representatives.
There is a remarkably wide range of estimates, from 1 million to 2 million, of the number of Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and other host countries. Whatever the exact number of refugees, it is substantial – and their experience has been grim. Before leaving Iraq, many suffered torture, kidnappings and the deaths of loved ones. Many are in danger because they have worked for Americans—the U.S. military, media, contractors and aid agencies. Single women with children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Others, especially adult men who are unable to work and provide for their families, suffer from depression, anxiety and chronic disease. Many grow increasingly destitute with each passing day. They need health care, housing, jobs and schooling, and safe places for children to play. Instead, they remain isolated, unwanted and insecure, overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness, paralyzed without prospects for a better future.
The world is unaware of the massive scale of this disaster and the deplorable conditions in which these refugees find themselves. The international response has been completely inadequate. Help is urgently needed.
- Displaced refugees need substantial aid delivered effectively and efficiently. The United States should provide $1.5 billion to $2 billion per year toward a global total of $3 billion to $4 billion. This may seem like a large amount, but is minuscule in relation to the hundreds of billions of dollars already spent on the war effort. The United States should cover half of the anticipated $800 million in appeals from international organizations—about $400 million—in order to help displaced Iraqis inside and outside Iraq in 2008. Host countries also need much more help, beginning with at least $900 million in bilateral assistance from the United States to Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt in fiscal year 2008. Iraq can provide more reliable deliveries of oil at reduced prices to help neighboring countries that are helping the refugees. The governments of the United States and Iraq have the principal responsibility to assist, but this burden should not be borne solely by them. European countries and the oil-producing Gulf States can and should contribute. Aid can be delivered directly by nongovernmental organizations.
- The best solution for most of the refugees is to return to their homes in Iraq, but safe repatriation cannot be undertaken now or in the foreseeable future. The international community must work to achieve conditions in Iraq that will allow for the eventual safe, voluntary and sustainable return of many refugees and displaced people to their homes. In the meantime, the international community must recognize that the refugees may have to remain where they are for the medium or long term and require help where they have sought refuge.
- A sizable population of Iraqis cannot return safely under any circumstances and do not plan to repatriate. The international community must work to resettle these individuals in third countries. Again, the United States must take the lead in providing safety to tens of thousands of vulnerable Iraqis. For the current fiscal year, the U.S. goal is to admit 12,000 Iraqi refugees. Through refugee resettlement and special immigrant visas, the IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees recommends that the president commit to a major effort to increase Iraqi admissions to at least 30,000 per year for the next four years. Other countries, especially in Europe, should also do more.
- A high-level conference of regional countries and interested donors, chaired by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is needed to examine the humanitarian crisis and develop a comprehensive plan for addressing it in the region. This conference should include government ministers who can grapple with the diplomatic and political aspects of the crisis. The international community needs a better assessment of true needs.
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