January 16, 2023
Baghdad / Obelisk: UNICEF revealed, on Monday 16/01/2023, that there are more than a million Iraqi children in need of humanitarian aid, and it talked about a 69% decline in funding for its projects.
A report by the organization stated that there are approximately 2.5 million people in Iraq, including 1.1 million children, 5.6% of whom are disabled, who still need humanitarian assistance.
The report added that these numbers include 960,000 people, including 422,400 children, who are classified as in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
The report added that there is a deficit in the UNICEF fund to appeal for humanitarian relief for children for the year 2022 in Iraq by 69%.
The report indicated that only 10.6 million dollars had been received from the donor countries for this fund until September of last year, out of the amount required to cover the urgent humanitarian needs of affected children and their families, amounting to 52.2 million dollars.
He indicated that the main financiers of the Children’s Relief Fund in Iraq for the year 2022 are the Czech Republic, the Office of the European Association for Humanitarian Aid, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
He pointed out that maintaining the continuity of providing basic services to the most affected women and children remains a challenge due to the lack of funding, within the context of the transition from the humanitarian effort to the development effort.
The report warned that transferring responsibility to government agencies and finding permanent financing solutions for the displaced also remains a challenge at a time when the government continues to rely on UNICEF’s technical and financial assistance.
The report indicated that 2022 was the year of the transfer of power and the formation of a new government, adding that UNICEF worked closely with both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government in coordinating relief work and humanitarian aid and made good progress.
The report stated that the number of camp residents decreased from 256,861 in August 2020 to 182,000 in October 2021.
The report also indicated that 920,000 women and children need protection from domestic violence, adding that “there are more than 1.6 million people in need of preventive services and health care.
The report added that, since January 2022, UNICEF, in cooperation with the Duhok and Erbil Youth Directorates, has provided life skills and technical and vocational skills to 11,200 young people, ages ranging from 10 to 24 years.
The report stated that the humanitarian situation in Iraq is largely due to the consequences of the battles against the terrorist organization ISIS for the period from 2014 to 2017.
The report went on to say that the latest statistics show that there are still 1.2 million displaced people in Iraq, with 4.9 million people returning to their areas.
Obelisk – follow-up – agencies
The text that includes the name of the author, entity, or agency, does not necessarily express the point of view of the obelisk, and the source is responsible for the content. The responsibility of the obelisk is to impartially transmit news, and to defend freedom of opinion at its highest levels.