Tele-Press Conference: Iraqi Displacement After the U.S. Military Mission Ends

December 13, 2011 – Washington, DC – Leading Iraq and resettlement policy experts will host a telephone press conference on Tuesday, December 20, at 10am EST on heightened humanitarian and protection concerns for millions of displaced and vulnerable Iraqis as the US withdraws its military from Iraq.

Michael Kocher, the International Rescue Committee’s Vice President of International Programs and former Mideast Regional Director, will moderate the discussion and Q & A.

Speakers include:

Andrew Harper, United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) chief of Iraq operations
Bob Carey, International Rescue Committee, Vice President of Refugee Resettlement and Migration Policy
Resettled Iraqi, former journalist for the New York Times (Name withheld to maintain privacy)
Becca Heller, Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Director

Photo © UNHCR

Humanitarian needs remain urgent for at least three million Iraqis who remain uprooted and face a precarious and uncertain future inside Iraq and in neighboring countries.

Ongoing violence and persecution in Iraq prevent most from returning home, while some countries of asylum, such as Syria, have become increasingly unstable.

While more than 60,000 Iraqis have been resettled to the United States since the start of the crisis, tens of thousands of other Iraqis have applications pending. Many have been waiting more than a year to learn their fate due to increased security checks for refugee resettlement.

There is also a backlog in the processing of Special Immigrant Visas for Iraqis who worked for the United States military and contractors, many of whom are in danger because of their service to the U.S.

UNHCR, which is charged with responding to the refugee crisis, remains short of funding for its Iraq operations and humanitarian aid organizations operating in the region have suffered from budget cuts.

Call-in information:

800-894-5910 (inside the U.S.)
785-424-1052 (outside the U.S)
call-in code: UNHCR

Please RSVP in advance by contacting:

Lilli Tnaib - Public Information Associate, UNHCR Washington
Email: tnaib (at) unhcr (dot) org
Phone: 202-243-7619

About the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950, by the United Nations General Assembly.

The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives and has twice been the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Today, a staff of some 7,190 people in more than 120 countries continues to help some 36.4 million persons.

About the United States Association for UNHCR (USA for UNHCR):

Established by concerned American citizens, the United States Association for UNHCR is a 501(c)3 organization that supports the Agency's work around the world while building support and awareness in the United States for UNHCR's life-saving relief programs.

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