Region | Palestinian Territories
UN warns of humanitarian disaster in Iraq
A top UN official has warned of "very serious" humanitarian problems in Iraq, including lack of food and internal displacement of more than two-and-a-half million people.
- By Samir Salama, Associate Editor
- Published: 17:54 April 8, 2008
- Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad with Holmes during the launch of the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development exhibition and International Conference.
- Image Credit: WAM
Abu Dhabi: A top UN official has warned of "very serious" humanitarian problems in Iraq, including lack of food and internal displacement of more than two-and-a-half million people.
The humanitarian situation in Iraq is very serious because we have more than two-and-half million people who have been displaced from their homes over the last few years, including 1.5 million in the last two years, John Holmes, UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, told Gulf News.
He also said the Israeli blockade on Gaza Strip as unacceptable and termed it as collective punishment of 105 million people living there.
"In Iraq, you have a deterioration of basic services in many areas ... the food distribution system is not working and access to clean water and sanitation is a problem. We estimate that only 40 per cent of the people have access to clean water ... health systems are struggling under the impact of violence and due to the departure of many doctors and nurses from Iraq."
The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday that the number of internally-displaced Iraqis had risen to more than 2.77 million people by the end of March, five years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussain.
Two million Iraqis have also fled to neighbouring Jordan and Syria, where social and health services are struggling with the influx. Holmes, who is in Jordan on his way to Iraq, said basic services in many areas in Iraq "are still deteriorating".
"There are more than four million people who do not have enough food, and one third of people are cut off from essential health care and life-saving medication. Between four and nine per cent of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition," he said.
Holmes, who is also Emergency Relief Coordinator, said a combination of violence and the deterioration of basic services have worsened the situation of Iraqi people. The UN and its partners are working to alleviate their suffering, while keeping in mind the safety of humanitarian workers.
He admitted that the situation was not conducive for the displaced to return to Iraq, and was unsure of when they would be able to finally. Holmes said the UN would help those who want to return to their homeland, but would not advise them to do so.
The UN relief chief, who admitted he was unable to go to Iraq for security reasons, is on a tour of Gulf countries to discuss the humanitarian situation in Iraq with relevant officials.
Holmes also painted a grim picture of the situation in Gaza. "The most worrying position from a humanitarian point of view is in Gaza because of the restrictions on goods going into Gaza by the Israeli government after Hamas took over.
"There is a minimum of goods getting in so people are not starving. But living conditions are deteriorating, so we've been urging the Israelis to open up the border posts.
"The Israeli measures imposed on Gaza Strip are unacceptable and it is collective punishment for the 1.5 million people living there. It doesn't look to me like it is in Israel's long-term security interest. But I also condemn the Qassam rockets being fired at Israel by Hamas."
Gulf News: How would you assess the humanitarian situation in Iraq?
John Holmes: I think the humanitarian situation in Iraq is very serious because we have more than two-and-a-half million people who have been displaced from their homes over the last few years, including 1.5 million in the last two years.
Basic services are deteriorating in many areas ... the food distribution system is not working as well as it did before. Access to clean water and sanitation is a problem for many people.
We estimated only 40 per cent of the people have access to clean water on a reliable basis ... health systems are struggling under the impact of violence and the departure of many doctors and nurses from Iraq ...
If you add that on to the decades of sanctions, tension and conflict, then there is a lot of people in difficulty in Iraq, which is why we try to step up our efforts to help them. We launched an appeal in February for $265 million just for the people inside Iraq, for the UN agencies and NGOs who are working there.
We have also a separate, but related problem - two million refugees in Jordan and Syria, who also need help. They are being generously received by the governments and people of Jordan, Syria and other countries too.
But these countries need help to strengthen their health and education systems to deal with the extra burden these Iraqis represent. So, this is a very serious humanitarian situation that we are trying to address.
How successful have you been in doing so?
Well, I think there is a big effort going in. But it is always difficult to measure the exact impact. But we know we need to do more. And we are trying to do more.
Of course, it is difficult because it is probably the most difficult place in the world to operate as a humanitarian [agency], particularly an international member of staff.
It is very, very hard to move around inside Iraq ... so that limits, unfortunately, what we can do. So, we are operating through local NGOs and through national Iraqi staff. But it is more difficult than in many other places.
Would you encourage Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan to return to Iraq at the moment?
No, we are not encouraging them to go back at the moment, because we don't think the conditions are right for them to go back. But if any Iraqi wants to go back, we will help. But we are not actually asking people to go back. It is not our position.
When will the conditions be right for them to go back?
I don't think we know. Obviously we hope that happens due to the improvement in security in recent months. But I don't think it is happening given the fighting between the militias and government in the last few weeks.
But if you look at the trend, the security situation has been improving. But it's got some way to go before we'd want to say to people it is safe to go back home.
Would $265 million be sufficient to meet all the humanitarian needs inside Iraq?
No, we know it is not enough. But it's a reasonable sum to tackle some of the worst needs. We may need more in the future. But it reflects what we can do at the moment.
And of course there are other ways of reaching the Iraqis. The government is doing. It is their responsibility to help people. But we'd like to increase it and probably we will increase it in future. But this is what we can offer at the moment.
What exactly this amount cover?
It covers the whole range of projects. I think there is 65 projects to help people in different parts of Iraq. The main sectors are: food is a significant part of it, healthcare, water and sanitation, shelters because some people, who have been displaced lack proper shelters, agriculture to help some people restart their livelihoods in parts of Iraq. Those are the main sort of areas.
You have been reported to have been unable to go to Iraq, is that true and if so how would you be able to assess the situation on the ground?
It is true. I was hoping to be in Iraq last week to see for myself, to go to Baghdad, Erbil, maybe to Basra. But unfortunately, the fighting was going on between the militias and the government and actually the attacks that were taking place against the international zone in Baghdad.
I mean for security reasons it was impossible for me to go. But I will try to go back again in the next few weeks. That's exactly the problem of dealing with Iraq. But we do have people there to rely on.
We can work through the government, we can work through local NGOs, we are trying to do that very much. But it is precisely a problem that I cannot and most international staff of our agencies and NGOs cannot go to see for ourselves in Iraq because it is still too dangerous.
How would you assess the international community's commitment to respond to the humanitarian crisis inside Iraq?
The response to the appeal has been positive so far. If you add up commitments and pledges we have received, it would be $200 million. The actual money we have received, I think, is about $50 million. But these are very serious pledges.
That's a good result. We want it to be better, we want the whole amount.
Have you got any special pledge or commitment from the UAE?
I do not know for this particular appeal. I think one of the things we've been discussing is that very often the UAE, which is a generous humanitarian donor in general, does not go through UN appeals or UN funds, but prefers to give its help bilaterally.
We don't have a problem with that, but I would encourage the UAE, like other countries in the region, to operate also through the United Nations appeals systems, through United Nations funds, we have a central emergency response fund, to which we welcome a larger UAE contribution.
If you operate through the appeals or through a fund like that, they established a clear set of needs, a clear set of priorities, a clear strategy and these assistance fit into that and then we are accountable for delivering that assistance.
So, it's easy to track, it's easy to give credit and it's easy to be transparent. And that's what actually happens.
How has a combination of violence and the deterioration of basic services in Iraq affected the humanitarian operations there?
Well, because the basic services are deteriorating due to violence and lack of maintenance over many years, creating humanitarian problems. And this is cumulative.
If people don't have food they need, they become weaker, their health needs become greater. If the health system is deteriorating in the same time, then the health system's responses worsen.
So, people's ability to cope with the situation gradually deteriorates and of course if they have any savings or assets, those are all used up by the difficulties. So, you get people who gradually get into worse and worse positions. That's why they need help.
How are you helping Syria and Jordan to cope with the influx of refugees?
Well, the United Nations is helping these governments strengthen their basic social services so they can cope with the extra numbers of Iraqis over there. What we do not want to do and governments do not want us to do is to create parallel structures just for the Iraqi refugees.
So, there are no refugee camps in Jordan or Syria for the Iraqis, and they are living amongst the normal population. They are using the same services as the population.
So we help those governments to build more schools, add extra classrooms, do double shifts in the same school, extend the range of clinics so they can deal with the extra burden of these people.
In Jordan, for instance, 10 per cent of its population is Iraqi refugees. The number is actually bigger in Syria, but Syria is a bigger country, so they could cope easily.
And also don't forget that the situation is also deteriorating in the sense that the people who left Iraq, often left with some assets, with some savings, but those are being used up, so people find themselves in a more and more difficult situation.
Moving on to the situation in Palestine, would you blame Israel for the humanitarian situation in the occupied territories?
The most worrying position from a humanitarian point of view is in Gaza because of the restrictions on goods going into Gaza by the Israeli government after Hamas took over.
There is a minimum of goods getting in so people are not starved. But in all sort of areas, conditions are deteriorating, so we've been urging the Israelis very strongly to open up the crossing points.
I was in Gaza a month ago and I was able to see for myself the conditions are very difficult indeed and they are getting worse. In the West Bank, the situation is not so severe and the living conditions are not so severe.
But the combination of expanding settlements, the barrier and the blocking of roads are creating humanitarian problems because it is cutting people off from their normal roots.
The Israeli measures imposed on Gaza Strip are unacceptable and collective punishment for the 1.5 million population living there. It doesn't look to me like it is in Israel's long-term security interest.
But I also condemned the Qassam rockets being fired at Israel by Hamas. Something needs to change on the ground before we could really get close to a peaceful settlement, which is what we really need.
What is the main goal of your tour of the Gulf region?
The main goal is to strengthen partnership between all the countries in the region and work together more closely and try to make sure we have the right kind of coordination structure in place.
And I am encouraging countries in the region to engage more with the UN, with the multi-lateral humanitarian system as well as whatever is given bilaterally through the governments or through the red crescent societies in different countries.
Because, we think the right balance between bilaterally and multi-laterally given contributions is a better way of helping. We'd get better help to people on the ground in a more transparent and accountable way.
Is this specifically in dealing with Iraq?
No, no, I was in Jordan, and I would have been in Iraq as I said. But no, we have causes everywhere, we have Palestine, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Darfur is the single biggest operation, Chad, Sri Lanka. There is a whole list of man-made disasters we are dealing with on a daily basis.
And then, we have all the natural disasters, which is the other part of what we do. And those natural disasters are increasing because of climate change and the latest problem we face is the rise in food prices.
The rise in food prices is going to make people around the world hungry. It is a problem in Afghanistan, in Egypt or in many countries in Asia because if the prices of food go up it becomes almost unaffordable for people and there is not enough food to go around.
So we have to deal with more hungry people and also the resources we have will go less by far, because we have to buy food and the food is more expensive.
Which is why the World Food Programme has made an appeal for extra $500 million for this year just to maintain its operations at the same level. This is a very serious problem for us.
How would you assess the situation in Darfur?
The situation is very difficult because fighting is continuing, the political process is very slow. Those combined Arab, African Union, UN forces are being deployed, but this will take sometime.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation is very difficult, we have two thirds of the population depending on humanitarian systems from outside. One third of the population displaced. These are huge numbers. This is the biggest operation in the world.
It is almost a billion dollar a year to keep people alive. There are 12,000 to 13,000 humanitarian workers on the ground in Darfur, most of them are Sudanese because it is a difficult and dangerous environment to work. There are attacks on humanitarian workers, their cars are stolen.
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