U.S. Contributes More Than $150 Million to Help Displaced Iraqis

U.S. Contributes More Than $150 Million to Help Displaced Iraqis
US State Dept, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC, March 20, 2009

The United States is pleased to announce new FY 2009 contributions of more than $141 million to help Iraqis who remain displaced as a result of the war. These contributions come in addition to the $9 million that the United States committed earlier this fiscal year, to total $150 million thus far in FY 2009. These contributions show an ongoing U.S. focus on the needs of this vulnerable population, a focus that continues even as the security conditions inside Iraq improve, making returns of the displaced persons a more viable option in some areas. Between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2008 (FY 2007 and FY 2008), the United States provided approximately $570 million to support humanitarian assistance for Iraqis.

This year’s funding has supported the 2009 United Nations Consolidated Appeal for Iraq and the region, and key international non-governmental organizations. The Appeal for $547 million will support relief efforts by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Program (WFP) and others. The United States calls on other donors to respond to the United Nations Appeal with substantial contributions of their own.

Through these organizations, U.S. funding will support a range of services for displaced Iraqis and conflict victims, including:

• continued provision of emergency relief supplies to the most vulnerable Iraqis;
• rehabilitation of water systems for internally displaced persons and local communities in Iraq;
• informal education activities for Iraqi students unable to attend public schools in Jordan and Syria;
• school reconstruction to support the influx of Iraqi students into Syrian public schools;
• mental health services for displaced Iraqis;repairs to clinics in Iraq, including donation of medical equipment; and
• mobile health units for Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria.

[table: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/03/120712.htm]