Home Press Room

Humanitarian Relief and Protection Cannot Take a Backseat in the U.S.-Led War in Iraq, says Women’

New York, NY

The United States must abide by its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention and make the provision of significant humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people a priority, says the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. With a potential humanitarian disaster looming in Basra, it is clear that more must be done to protect the Iraqi people during a prolonged conflict.

"The United States must make the securing of humanitarian corridors to enable large-scale assistance to operate a priority; this cannot take a back seat to the push to Baghdad," says Darla Silva, Washington Liaison, Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. "Providing protection to Iraqi civilians is not a choice, it is an obligation. The United States and coalition forces must do more to address both the protection and assistance needs of the Iraqi people, particularly the internally displaced."

The World Food Program estimates that Iraqis have in general about five weeks of food left. About 13 million — 60 percent of Iraq’s population — are completely dependent on food aid. Malnutrition already strikes 1.3 million children under the age of five, or one in four.

"U.S. assistance must go beyond the delivery of food and water," Silva adds. "The United States must specifically incorporate protection, including access to basic services and security from sexual abuse and exploitation into its humanitarian response plans." The Bush Administration’s recently-released supplemental appropriations request is insufficient for the U.S. to meet its obligations in Iraq without diverting resources from other humanitarian commitments around the world. Congress must exercise its oversight authority and ensure that the supplemental has sufficient funds to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq without sacrificing development and relief programs in other parts of the world.

The Women’s Commission urges the U.S. government to:

• Prioritize the creation of humanitarian corridors in southern Iraq that would enable large-scale humanitarian relief to get through. More attention must be paid specifically to the needs of internally displaced persons in Iraq.
• Include sufficient funding in the supplemental appropriations bill to ensure that the United States can replenish funding that has already been reprogrammed from other development and assistance accounts and generously respond to the soon-to-be released United Nations Flash Appeal for humanitarian aid in Iraq.
• Transfer control of the reconstruction of Iraq to the UN at the earliest possible opportunity. The UN and its agencies have clear expertise in long-term humanitarian relief and will be best equipped to take on this challenge.