PREPARATIONS BUILD FOR UN MEETING ON AID TO IRAQIS WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO FLEE

PREPARATIONS BUILD FOR UN MEETING ON AID TO IRAQIS WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO FLEE
New York, Apr 10 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today reported that preparations are gaining momentum towards holding a conference next week in Geneva on the humanitarian needs of the nearly 4 million Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes in a mass exodus sparked by bloodshed, want and insecurity.

"Spiralling levels of sectarian, political and criminal violence, dwindling basic services, loss of livelihood, inflation and uncertainty about the future have all contributed to an exodus now estimated at 40,000 to 50,000 a month fleeing their homes inside Iraq," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/461b63de4.html">told a press briefing in Geneva today.

"Since most of those who have fled have not gone to camps, the movement has not been so obvious, but it is enormous nonetheless and those who have fled are becoming increasingly desperate as they and their host communities run out of resources."

Numerous governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have confirmed their participation in the <"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/events?id=45e44a562">meeting, which will be held from 17 to 18 April and chaired by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a bid to spotlight the plight of Iraqi refugees and displaced persons.

"Although the world is aware of the military and political situation in Iraq, the immense and growing humanitarian needs are not well-known," said Mr. Redmond. "The idea of next week's conference is to alert the international community to the humanitarian dimensions of the displacement crisis in and around Iraq and to forge an ongoing international humanitarian partnership to alleviate suffering, to provide protection and to share the burden with those countries and communities that have so far borne the brunt of the crisis."

He stressed the need for the international community to focus collectively on the approximately 2 million Iraqis now in neighbouring countries and the estimated 1.9 million Iraqis who remain displaced inside their own country, "many of them in increasingly desperate conditions."

Since the beginning of last year nearly 730,000 Iraqis have become newly displaced by sectarian violence, according to UNHCR, and more are fleeing their homes daily.
2007-04-10 00:00:00.000

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