IMC Calls for Humanitarian Surge in Iraq

Photo by: Agron Ferati

Iraqis need to be able to lead normal lives with adequate housing, education, health care, water, electricity, and jobs.

Baghdad, Iraq/Washington, DC/Los Angeles, CA – With security improving and more refugees and displaced returning, International Medical Corps (IMC) is urging a ‘humanitarian surge’ to address the unmet needs of millions of Iraqis in the country.

“If we want security to lead to long-term stability, then a humanitarian surge has to occur immediately,” Agron Ferati, Iraq country director for International Medical Corps, told Reuters.

The current situation challenges donors, the aid community, and the host government to make a tangible difference to the lives of Iraqis who have experienced a lack in basic services since the escalation of violence in 2006. The service delivery gap in Iraq can only be closed by scaling up assistance that addresses returnees and permanent residents at the neighborhood level.

“We now see a window of opportunity in which organizations that are already operating on the ground must immediately start to increase their assistance,” says Ferati. “Handouts will not be enough to make a long-lasting difference. Our support must help people to reintegrate into their communities. People need to be able to lead normal lives with adequate housing, education, health care, water, electricity, and jobs.”

IMC has developed a returnee and neighborhood stabilization strategy that helps close the gap between governmental and informal networks currently seeking to support returnees. “The real concern for people is the state of the specific neighborhood that they fled,” says Agron Ferati. “Our approach will bring government, district, city, and neighborhood councils together. We will support them in providing immediate and long-term assistance to returnees and permanent residents.”

IMC remains concerned that if returnees and the population in general do not feel the benefits of improved security in terms of better lives – especially more work and better access to services – then there is a good chance that the current relative calm will evaporate.

International Medical Corps is one of a handful of international aid organizations currently operating from inside the country. IMC started working in Iraq in 2003 and has programs in 16 out of 18 governates, working closely with local and national partners to provide education, health care, infrastructure, and job opportunities.

“We are proud that we never abandoned Iraq, even during the most difficult times. We continue working with local and national authorities to help them cope with the current challenges,” says Agron Ferati. “Our response will not be a blanket approach, but targeted to large cities and will adapt to the needs and realities of different areas with different populations.”

Since its inception in 1984, International Medical Corps' mission has been clear: Relieve the suffering of those affected by war, natural disaster, and disease by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. Passing on essential skills that help people help themselves is critical if those hit by tragedy are to return to self-reliance. IMC has received a four-star rating for four consecutive years by Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator.

Related: IMC Signs onto Letter Asking U.S. to Take Lead in Iraqi Refugee Crisis

For more information please contact Stephanie Bowen (310) 826-7800 or Natalia Cieslik (202) 828-5155.