Iraqi Refugee Crisis in NYT Op-ed

The International Rescue Committee has a great op-ed in the New York Times today. The organization sent a high-level delegation to Syria and Jordan in February to meet with Iraqi refugees, leaders in both nations, and U.S. and UN officials in order to assess the crisis firsthand. The op-ed suggests, and we agree strongly, that a comprehensive plan to deal with this long-term crisis must be a part of any strategy for moving forward in Iraq and the region.

The op-ed’s numbers highlight an interesting point – U.S. resettlement and aid levels have been presented in the media as woefully inadequate (our view) and as perfectly acceptable (the implication in some articles). So it’s worth looking at the numbers a bit more closely.

On resettlement: Between October 1, 2004, and March 31, 2008, the U.S. resettled 4,635 Iraqi refugees. By way of contrast, between 1959 and 1962, the U.S. accepted 200,000 Cuban refugees. Between May 1 and December 20, 1975, the U.S. accepted 131,000 Vietnamese refugees. In almost five years, we’ve brought just a tiny fraction of Iraqi refugees to safety, though it’s clear from history that when the will exists we can do much, much more.

On aid: Since 2003, the U.S. had provided more than $500 million in humanitarian aid for Iraqi refugees and IDPs. Also since 2003, the U.S. has spent more than $500 billion on the war in Iraq. The Congressional Research Service estimated (as of February 2008) that the Iraq war costs about $10 billion per month. That means that the U.S. spends more on the war in two days than we’ve contributed to humanitarian assistance for refugees and IDPs in five years.

The bottom line is clear from the numbers: The United States can and should do much more to meet the needs of the 4 million-plus Iraqis who have fled their homes.

Advocacy in DC on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis

The next couple of weeks are important ones for advocacy on behalf of Iraq's 4 million-plus refugees. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker will be testifying before Congress on the state of the war in Iraq. The recent violence in Basra, along with the ongoing U.S. presidential campaign, mean that attention will probably be trained on two central questions: the ability of Iraq's leadership to provide security and stability independent of the U.S. and the level of U.S. engagement on the ground in the months to come. What must not be forgotten in the evaluation of the current situation is the refugee crisis - the fates of the millions of Iraqis who have been displaced from their homes are inextricable from the future security of Iraq and the region. We hope that members of Congress will ask Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker how the U.S. and Iraq intend to ensure protection for Iraq's displaced - and to guarantee that no refugee is forced to return to unsafe conditions. Without this guarantee (which is an obligation under customary international law aside from being the moral thing to do), stability and security in the region don't have much hope.

We plan to claim the Hill's attention ourselves the following week, along with other activists from around the country who will travel to DC to participate in the Iraq Action Days. The Iraq Policy Forum will take place at George Washington University on Monday, April 14. The advocacy days will take place on Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, April 16. Our goal is to bring a wide coalition of organizations and individuals to their Congressional representatives to educate them about the Iraqi refugee crisis and the moral obligation of the U.S. to respond with commitment and leadership. Four HRF staffers will be attending, and my colleague Amelia Templeton will conduct the advocacy workshop on Tuesday morning. Please let me know if you plan to join us by emailing me at epsteinr@humanrightsfirst.org. For more info, you can check out the website here.

UN High Commissioner Guterres assesses Iraqi refugee crisis

Last week, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres ended a week-long trip to Syria, Jordan, and Iraq to asses the situation of millions of Iraqi refugees in the region. One of the issues Guterres discussed with the Iraqi government was a proposed joint assessment of conditions required for the voluntary, safe, and sustainable return of refugees. Several days later, the BBC intimated that Guterres believed that safe returns would soon be possible in an article with the unfortunate headline "UN hints at Iraq refugee returns.”

The UN refugee agency has consistenly and unequivocally stated that they do not believe that conditions currently exist for voluntary, safe, and sustainable returns. According to the UN standard, returning refugees should be confident of their legal safety (non-discrimination and freedom of fear from persecution), physical safety, and material security.

It is also absolutely key that returns are voluntary—the free choice of the refugees. To understand whether a return is voluntary, the UN has to evaluate whether the primary reason for return is improvements in the situation in the refugee’s country of origin, or push factors in the refugee’s country of asylum. For Iraqis living in Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, we know that the push factors—economic desperation, lack of access to work, education, and health care, lack of legal status—are very strong.

In the coming year, more refugees may be pushed to return to Iraq involuntarily, because they cannot survive in Syria, Jordan, or Egypt. Other Iraqis may decide to take their chances and go back for personal reasons, voluntarily but before the UN refugee agency believes that the conditions, broadly, are safe and secure. In this situation, the UNHCR has the responsibility to facilitate the decisions of individuals who choose to go home, and to work with the Iraqi government to protect and support the returnees. This cannot be interpreted more broadly as a statement on the security situation inside Iraq, much less an affirmative promotion of returns.

UN Emergency Appeal: $265 Million Needed to Help Iraqis

Earlier today the United Nations launched an emergency appeal, on behalf of 14 UN agencies and 10 NGOs, for $265 million to deliver urgent relief to Iraqis. One of the goals of the appeal is to deliver food to internally displaced Iraqis who are having difficulty accessing food rations through the Iraqi government’s public distribution system. Read the UN release here.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, some 2.4 million Iraqis are internally displaced, an estimated 4 million need food aid, and only 40 of the population has consistent access to safe drinking water.

February 5 Panel in NYC on Iraqi Refugee Crisis and Arts Advocacy

The polls don’t close till 9 pm tomorrow night, so there’s time for New Yorkers to attend an important panel discussion at Fordham University. Human Rights First is co-sponsoring the panel along with Fordham University and the Nailya Alexander Gallery. It’s entitled “Iraqi Citizens: War and Exile.” The panelists will address topics including the consequences of the Iraq war for Iraqis – more than 4 million of whom have fled their homes – the potential for visual artists to bring public attention to human rights issues, and the relationship between visual arts, human rights advocacy, and policy change. A question-and-answer session will follow. The panel’s in conjunction with a photo exhibit at the Nailya Alexander Gallery by photojournalist Lori Grinker – which received a nice notice in the New Yorker last week. The exhibit was also written up in January in the Huffington Post.

Complete info: Tuesday, February 5, 2008, 7 to 9 pm, Fordham University Lincoln Center, 113 W. 60th Street at Columbus Avenue, Room 816. Panelists include Lori Grinker, HRF advocate Amelia Templeton, former Iraqi translator Nour Al-Khal, and WITNESS communications and outreach coordinator Matisse Bustos Hawkes, and the conversation will be moderated by Fred Ritchin. It’s free, but seating is limited, so please RSVP to martinezb@humanrightsfirst.org.

Obama and Clinton Acknowledge Refugee Crisis

In last night's Democratic debate, the war in Iraq received some considerable attention. Sen. Obama pointed out that he and Sen. Clinton both believe that addressing the humanitarian crisis in the region is a critical component of any future strategy in Iraq. His exact words:

Both of us have said we would make sure that our embassies and our civilians are protected. Both of us have said that we've got to care for Iraqi civilians, including the 4 million who have been displaced already. We already have a humanitarian crisis and we have not taken those responsibilities seriously.

We're glad to hear the presidential candidates begin to lead a national conversation that acknowledges a refugee crisis whose scale is almost beyond comprehension - and a U.S. obligation to take responsibility for that crisis.

No mention of Iraq's Displacement Crisis

Well, the President has just finished his State of the Union address and stepped off the podium. He highlighted recent security improvements in Iraq and the planned draw down of several U.S. army brigades, but did not make any reference or commitment of assistance to Iraqi refugees.

President Bush did speak briefly about the crisis in Darfur, noting the importance of "changing conditions that breed resentment and despair. " Refugees in Darfur urgently need assistance, and I am grateful the President drew attention to the crisis they face. But our humanitarian obligations extend to Iraqi refugees as well. Asylum for 2.2 million Iraqi refugees in the region is extremely precarious. Many are surviving on remittances sent by family and friends abroad or rapidly depleting savings. It is extreemly difficult for most to access heath care or education.

In Jordan, an Iraqi who had been attacked and lost a brother because he served as a translator for US troops in Anbar province told me this: "For Iraqi refugees like me, yesterday was better than today, and tomorrow will be even worse." It makes no sense to commit to providing security and improvements in daily life for those in Iraq, but to leave Iraqis who have been forced to flee their country living in despair.

State of the Union-- improvements in daily life?

The President just cited the work of provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq and their efforts "to make sure improved security was followed by improvements in daily life."

I want to quickly draw attention to the dire humanitarian situation of 2.4 million internally displaced Iraqis, as laid out in the International Organization for Migration's 2007 Iraq Displacement Year in Review. Only 22 % have access to the public food distribution system and 31 % say that their property is occupied by other citizens. The U.S. can and should be doing much more to ensure that internally displaced Iraqis have access to food, shelter, clean water, and medical care.

State of the Union

The president has yet to mention Iraq, or refugees, in his address tonight, but he has already taken one significant action in relation to Iraqi refugees. Earlier today, President Bush Signs H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 into law.

The Act, now law, contains provisions introduced by Senators Kennedy and Smith which will make it significantly easier for some Iraqis-- in particular those who have close ties to the united states-- to receive protection and asylum here. It creates 5,000 special immigrant visas for Iraqis who have worked with the U.S and makes them eligible for the same benefits as other Iraqi refugees. The bill also establishes requirements for a system that will allow Iraqis to seek admission to the US refugee program without leaving their country first-- a necessity since the states bordering Iraq have closed their borders to refugees. Many thanks to Senators Kennedy, Smith, and the full bipartisan list of co-sponsors. Many thanks to the e-activists, Iraqi and American friends, and RCUSA coalition partners who helped bring this bill to life.

The President is speaking about Iraq now, so I have to sign off and listen!

State of the Union- Live Blog

Tonight, President Bush will deliver his final State of the Union address and U.S. strategy in Iraq is sure to be one main focus of the speech. Sincere thanks to the more than 7200 people who took action this weekend and asked the president to acknowledge our obligation to Iraqi refugees, increase resettlement of the most vulnerable, and provide aid to help those Iraqis who remain displaced in the region.

I'll be watching at 9.00 pm and blogging live during the address to monitor and respond to the President's comments regarding the United States' humanitarian obligation in Iraq.