UNHCR Representative in Iraq Jean-Nicolas Beuze told Rudaw’s Dilbxwin Dara in an interview aired on Wednesday, that the reason behind the choice taken by the UNHCR as well as the UN’s other humanitarian partners and local NGOs to decrease their assistance to refugees from Syria as well as other countries, and IDPs in the Kurdistan Region was that “most of these displaced populations are receiving already services through the public institutions.”
Beuze noted that as a result of the efficient public services delivery to refugees exhibited by the Kurdish authorities, which he commended, “we [UNHCR] are less needed and this is very much a good thing, at a time that as we all know there are crises all over the world.”
He also added that said measure would “last for the foreseeable future because we [UNHCR] really believe that Iraq is in a position to deliver those services, quality services, accessible services, to the displaced population, and we see it everyday.” Nevertheless, he highlighted that while the funding might be decreasing, the UNHCR has established systems that will ensure refugees and IDPs do not suffer from their scaled back presence.
Despite noting the intent of Kurdish authorities to continue providing said services to displaced populations in the Kurdistan Region, Beuze stressed that “we [UNHCR] count on our donors to continue helping us but we do understand and agree that it’s time for them the donors to go and look at more pressing, urgent humanitarian needs than Iraq,” highlighting that the world’s attention is now more concentrated on the crises in Gaza and Ukraine than that in Syria, where most refugees in the Kurdistan Region come from.
The UNHCR Representative in Iraq specified that as the UN refugee agency enters the planning process for the period between 2025 and 2029, the organization’s goal in the Kurdistan Region is to reinforce the capacity of local authorities and public sector providers to “deliver services for the refugees, eventually also for the Iraqi internally displaced but also for the local population so that we can improve the quality of services… for everyone on an equal footing.” He added that the UNHCR and the international community are also committed to giving back to the local population of the Region.
On the issue of the protracted displacement of Yazidis, Beuze noted that it is imperative to find a solution outside of camps. “One of the solutions, for those who want to, will be to return to Sinjar [Shingal] but some won’t be able or will not be willing to return to Sinjar so we have to also give them some solutions such as local integration, remaining outside the camp or turning the camp into formal settlements for them to have a decent life,” he said.
