Highlights
• As of 22 July, there were 3,369,252 people displaced across 105 districts and 3,823 locations in Iraq, increased by 1 per cent since 22 June. In addition there are 796,758 returnees, with significant numbers in Salah al Din, Anbar, Diyala, and Ninewa governorates. Overall, the figure increased by 6 per cent within the same period. At least 47 per cent of these are children under 18.
• Further displacement is expected due to an anticipated large scale military offensive to re-take ISIL-held areas along the Mosul corridor towards Mosul city. Since the beginning of 2016, more than 280,000 people have been displaced along the Mosul and Anbar corridors.
• In July, the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) Consortium co-led by UNICEF and WFP distributed 12,946 RRM kits as immediate response, reaching 65,362 vulnerable people newly displaced by conflict. The majority of these were in hard-to-reach locations including Salah al Din and Anbar.
• The eleventh UNICEF-supported WASH Service Centre has been established to cover Tikrit, Baiji, al Alam and surrounding areas in Salah al Din. It will support first line emergency response including distribution of supplies, needs assessments, and coordination.
• In southern governorates, 11,322 children completed the ‘Catch Up’ classes in existing schools, held in coordination with the Directorates of Education.
Classes targeted children, both displaced and from host communities, who required support to re-take Grade 6 exams in English, math, and science.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Due to ongoing military operations to re-take areas under armed opposition group control, the humanitarian situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. Since the beginning of 2016, more than 280,000 people have been displaced along the Mosul and Anbar corridors. In addition to the 87,000 people displaced from Fallujah and surrounding areas since May, ongoing operations have displaced over 100,000 people from Mosul, Shirqat, and surrounding areas 1 . Most have fled to Makhmur and southwards to Baiji, Al Hajjaj, Al Alam and other areas in Salah Al Din. Humanitarian capacity is overstretched.
Many camps are severely overcrowded with thousands of families forced to share tents, or sleep in the open. An additional one million people could be displaced before the end of the year, further exacerbating an already complex situation. With temperatures soaring more than 50 degrees Celsius, most new IDPs are in urgent need of assistance particularly shelter, water, and food. As most newly-accessible areas have been underserved since 2014, there is a critical need for immunization and nutritional screening for infants and young children. Protection of civilians, including treatment during security screening, remains a key concern.
Humanitarian leadership and coordination
UNICEF leads the WASH Cluster, Child Protection and Nutrition sub-clusters, co-leads the Education cluster with Save the Children International, and is an active member of the Health cluster. UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) co-lead the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) Consortium, whose partners include the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and seven NGOs. Regular information sharing takes place with the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Centre (JCMC) in Baghdad and the Joint Crisis Coordination centre (JCC) in Erbil, alongside other UN agencies and line ministries. As part of OCHA-led contingency planning in advance of the anticipated new large-scale displacements from Mosul city and surrounding areas UNICEF works, through its cluster leadership, to strengthen capacity and scale-up preparedness actions to meet the needs of children and families.
Humanitarian Strategy
UNICEF strengthens health and nutrition services for children under 5 years through the Ministry of Health (MoH); and supports water, sanitation, and hygiene services through the Ministry of Public Works and Municipalities (MPWM), and the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism (MMT). In collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE), UNICEF helps improve access to education for children aged 6 to 17 years. With the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA), UNICEF works to uphold children’s rights at policy and community levels. UNICEF supports child-focused cash transfers to highly vulnerable families to meet their daily needs including the hidden costs of school. UNICEF and WFP support newly-displaced populations in transit with life-saving and dignityraising kits through the RRM.