U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

 

MEDIA NOTE

U.S. Contributes Additional $19 million to the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Iraq Refugee Programs

We are pleased to announce an additional 2007 contribution of $19 million to UNHCR for its second supplementary appeal for Iraq.  This contribution will provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and other countries in the region as well as to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and non-Iraqi refugees inside Iraq.  This contribution will support UNHCR’s initiative to raise enrollment of Iraqi refugee children in schools throughout the region from 60,000 at present to 200,000 during the 2007-2008 school year.  It will also support an increase in primary health services for Iraqi refugees in the region and sustain protection through registration, legal assistance, and resettlement activities for Iraqi refugees

Inside Iraq, UNHCR coordinates the international response to Iraq’s IDPs and refugees, provides emergency assistance to over 150,000 of the more than 2 million internally displaced Iraqis, and gives lifesaving assistance to 45,000 third-country refugees, including 15,000 Palestinians.   

On July 12, 2007 UNHCR issued a Revised Supplementary Appeal for the Iraq Situation Response, raising its Iraq program budget to $123 million.   This new U.S. contribution, along with our earlier contribution of $18 million, brings our total 2007 contribution to UNHCR’s Iraq programs to $37 million.

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