Iraq - As the Mosul battle to retake Iraq’s northern city approaches its seventh month, responding to the needs of affected people has become IOM’s top priority, according to the UN Migration Agency’s Iraq Crisis Funding Appeal.

To meet the urgent needs of nearly a million beneficiaries throughout the country, IOM-Iraq’s 2017 Funding Appeal needs USD 76.3 million, of which 38 percent (USD 28.8 million) is allocated for Mosul Crisis Response for the first six months of 2017.

“Many of those in need of urgent assistance are in close proximity of the battlefield, and some of them are still at great risk due to military operations in the western part of Mosul [under ISIL control],” said Thomas Lothar Weiss, the Chief of Mission for IOM in Iraq.

As of 30 March, more than 367,000 individuals in total have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas, and 287,000 are currently displaced, since the operation to retake the city from ISIL launched in October 2016.

Weiss added, “Many displaced Iraqis from Mosul relate frightening tales of living under extreme hardship, and enduring danger and exposure to the elements upon fleeing their homes. Having left their personal belongings and communities behind, displaced Iraqis are in need of comprehensive assistance. IOM endeavours to provide this life-saving assistance, in cooperation with the Government of Iraq and humanitarian partners.”

IOM Iraq’s Appeal contains six major segments, of which Shelter/NFI provision with the required funding of USD 59.4 million is the agency’s top priority for assisting more than half a million beneficiaries in the entire country. Funding is also requested for Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Health, Protection, Emergency Livelihoods and Coordination and Common Services.

According to IOM’s field assessments, many displaced Iraqis across the country have limited access to basic household items and shelter necessities, while 17 percent of them (more than 484,000) live in critical shelter arrangements, which include unfinished buildings and informal settlements.

Displaced Iraqis in camps and critical shelter arrangements are extremely vulnerable, living in inadequate shelter that does not sufficiently protect them from the harsh winter and summer weather conditions in Iraq, IOM Iraq’s Appeal explains, referring to over 50-degree temperature difference between the coldest months and the height of summer.

IOM Iraq’s Chief of Mission highlighted the significant role of donor countries in addressing the overwhelming needs of displaced Iraqis, host communities, and returnees across Iraq, and stressed that IOM will continue to provide relief and humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected families in cooperation with the Government of Iraq and humanitarian partners.

The Iraq Crisis Funding Appeal can be accessed on the IOM Iraq website:

http://iomiraq.net/article/0/iom-iraq-funding-appeal-2017

The latest DTM Emergency Tracking figures on displacement from Mosul operations are available at:

http://iraqdtm.iom.int/EmergencyTracking.aspx

For further information, please contact IOM Iraq:

Sandra Black, Email: sblack@iom.int, Tel. +964 751 234 2550

Hala Jaber, Email: hjaberbent@iom.int, Tel. +964 751 740 1654