HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES ON CONFERENCE ON NEEDS OF IRAQI REFUGEES AND IDPS

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, speaking to journalists at the Palais des Nations in Geneva after the conclusion of the international conference on addressing the humanitarian needs of refugees and internally displaced persons inside Iraq and in neighbouring countries (17-18 April), said there was truly a humanitarian spirit in the conference which allowed all the actors to work together in a very committed way for the almost 4 million Iraqis displaced both inside and outside Iraq.

The conference had four main conclusions. First was the commitment of the Iraqi Government, which represented a very welcome new policy, to support Iraqis outside the country, not only with financial assistance but also with cooperation with the host countries, mainly Syria and Jordan, but also Egypt and others, especially with regards to the education and health systems. The Government also committed itself to solve many problems in relation to documents that corresponded to crucial concerns of Iraqis living abroad and several other initiatives. The second aspect was that last week, the United Nations had adopted its strategic platform for humanitarian action inside Iraq, and now the plan of action would follow. The conference had pressed the United Nations to move quickly on this, clarifying the role of the different agencies and allowing them to work much better together to support Iraqis displaced inside Iraq and in cooperation with the Iraqi Government. UNHCR had already decided to upgrade its presence in Iraq and would have an international presence based in Baghdad. UNHCR would also increase its operations in the country, with emphasis on the things that could be done. A third important point was the continued commitment of the countries that had been hosting Iraqis, not only in the region but further away, to go on granting protection and assistance to the Iraqi communities until a voluntary return would be possible. Everyone agreed that the solution for the Iraqis was the possibility of returning once the political problem was solved and reconciliation was effective. Fourth and finally, there was an unanimous recognition of the generosity of the host countries, especially Syria and Jordan, and the clear commitment for financial burden sharing and also to increase resettlement opportunities for the most vulnerable for which return would never be an effective option.

Mr. Guterres said the conference was a first step and a follow-up would now be established. Different forms of coordination would be required and UNHCR was working on that with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in order to ensure that different forms of bilateral and multilateral assistance from the international community would go to Syria, Jordan and to the Iraqis themselves.

“This was not a pledging conference, but there was really a very clear commitment of support and I strong hope that that commitment of support will be translated in meaningful forms in the very near future,” Mr. Guterres said.

Asked for more information about the new UNHCR international presence in Iraq, the High Commissioner said he could not name the person who had been picked yet. At present, except for the north of Iraq, UN agencies working in Iraq were working from Amman. UNHCR had a relevant number of international staff located in Amman. It was not possible to ensure that all forms of coordination with the Iraqi authorities were established if there was no strong international presence in Baghdad. UNHCR presently had seven offices around the country, but except for the north, all these offices were manned by national Iraqi staff. UNHCR hoped that in the future they would be able to increase the international presence in Iraq. UNHCR’s national presence and the scope of its operations would effectively increase in the near future.

“Our appeal is going relatively well and we might in the near future present an additional appeal,” Mr. Guterres said, adding again that this had not been a pledging conference and he did not think UNHCR could have achieved such a strong political commitment if they had just been asking for money. “I wanted to create this common engagement of all the relevant partners, even with all the political differences they have, and I think that was fully achieved.” He noted that Syria had presented a document with its needs and Jordan had presented some figures and the main concern now was to establish mechanisms of cooperation, in some situations bilateral and in others multilateral, to allow for the political commitment which was expressed to be translated into effective support for these two countries.

A journalist noted that internally displaced persons inside Iraq were worse off than those outside the countries. Mr. Guterres said this conference had been essential. Last Friday, the United Nations had adopted its strategic platform for UN action inside Iraq, and had decided to accelerate the plan of action, and this would help clarify the role of the different agencies concerning internally displaced Iraqis.

“We all recognized during this conference that conditions of security are not met for the people to able to return voluntarily and in safety and dignity. Another thing that is very important is that we all rejected the idea that people should be forced back into Iraq against their will, and as you know this is something that has been looming in the horizon sometime in the recent past,” Mr. Guterres said. “It is very important that the Iraq Government engage with the population in the host countries.”

A journalist said more than 220 journalists had been killed in Iraq and most journalists were targeted and without protection. What help could UNHCR give to civilians in general and journalists in particular. Mr. Guterres said it was very difficult for humanitarian organizations to provide protection in these circumstances. The protection needed to be presented by the authorities. The conference had insisted on the importance of the creation of conditions to overcome this problem. UNHCR was a humanitarian agency, which could only be involved in humanitarian activities, but it recognized that the solution for the problem in Iraq was not humanitarian but was political. What was necessary was a political solution which would end sectarian violence and promote effectively national reconciliation and which would allow journalists and other professionals, and also Palestinians, to be able to live safely again.

In response to a question about recognition for other countries taking in Iraqi refugees, not only Syria and Jordan, the High Commissioner confirmed that there was appreciation for all, but the numbers spoke for themselves. There were 1.2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, and a few thousand refugees in Turkey.

Asked why the conference was being held now, the High Commissioner said that last year at UNHCR’s Executive Committee, he had said that they needed to do more for Iraq as there was almost an international conspiracy to leave out the humanitarian dimension of the Iraqi crisis. It was a tragic humanitarian crisis. UNHCR had undertaken missions and had launched initiatives with the objective of uniting the international community to help with things that were clear to UNHCR but not to international public opinion. These steps had culminated with this international conference and he hoped that more could now be done with the follow-up mechanism to the conference.

Responding to a question about the situation of Palestinians stranded on the border between Iraq and Syria, Mr. Guterres said there was no significant progress on this issue. It was UNHCR’s most dramatic and frustrating situation now.

Asked about the role of the American occupiers in protecting internally displaced Iraqis, the High Commissioner said UNHCR had a big concern that internal displacement in Iraq should not translate itself into the creation of a true apartheid, and the appeal was to the Iraqi Government and to all relevant parties, and it was not difficult to understand who those parties were, not to allow this apartheid to be established with Sunnis moving to some areas and Shiites moving to another. It was a very clear objective and UNHCR insisted on the need to prevent displacement and at the same time to support all forms of return that would allow a multi-religious, multi-cultural, and multi-ethnic society to be fully re-established.

A journalist asked if the option of establishing refugee camps either in Iraq or just outside its borders was now off the table. The High Commissioner said one of the things that UNHCR was clearly against in any situation was the establishment of camps inside a country to avoid the right of its citizens to asylum in other countries.