Kurdistan Regional Government
Representation in the United States
Washington D.C.
Welcome to our May 2020 Humanitarian Bulletin
USAID donated two ambulances to the Rizgary Hospital to support Erbil Health Directorate's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) lifted the coronavirus lockdown on May 18 to allow businesses to reopen and eased the ban on traffic within provinces. However, due to new confirmed cases, the Ministry of Interior announced a complete lockdown during the Ramadan Eid holiday this weekend to prevent further outbreaks.

The COVID-19 lockdown, coupled with the sharp drop in oil prices and Baghdad's budget cuts have devastated the Kurdistan Region's economy, causing hardship to both the local population and displaced people as they face reduced employment and livelihood opportunities. 

According to a recent Emergency Livelihoods Cluster report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), about 29 percent of IDP and refugee livelihood activities in Iraq have stopped or are inactive, a significant increase in the level of activity compared to 65 percent noted in early April. It is primarily due to the easing of lockdown restrictions, but close to 56 percent of the beneficiary targets remain unmet. These include suspensions in vocational training, halting of work placements and cash for labor, delays in asset replacements and grant disbursements, and closure of business set-ups.

Subsequently, the situation will likely constrain the KRG's ability to meet the needs of about 1.1 million internally displaced persons and refugees, which amounts to nearly 20 percent of the Kurdistan Region's population. The KRG has been shouldering around 70% of the 1 billion USD in annual cost to provide essential services to the displaced people. The KRG calls on the United States and the international community to help at this time of crisis.
HIGHLIGHTS

COVID-19 in Kurdistan:
Total cases tested: 63,282
Total Positive cases: 442
Total Recovered: 383
Total deaths: 5
Total active cases: 54
Source: KRG Situation Update

More than 1,052,426 refugees and IDPs are registered in the Kurdistan Region. 

Only about 30–50 percent of Christians in the Kurdistan Region have returned to their places of origin. 

Only 3 percent of Yazidi IDPs plan to return to the Sinjar region.

More than half of the displaced people are women and children.
Source: KRG-JCC and USCIRF
Out of the 1,052,426 displaced people, 264,720 are refugees and 787,706 are IDPs. 40% of the refugees reside in 10 camps, and 20% of the IDPs in 28 camps across three provinces in Kurdistan. 
About 40% of the IDPs in Kurdistan are Sunni Arabs, 30% Yazidi Kurds, 13% Muslim Kurds, 7% Christians, and 10% others. 
Source: The Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC) of KRG
Moreover, according to the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 2020 Annual Report, only about 30–50 percent of the Chaldeans, Assyrians, and other Christians in the Kurdistan Region have returned to their areas of origin since the fall of ISIS in 2017. It is mainly because the Christian community is concerned about security. 

Similarly, in a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) survey in February 2020, only 3 percent of Yazidi IDPs planned to return to Sinjar because of security concerns.

Nevertheless, the refugees and IDPs are more vulnerable to the coronavirus and other diseases because of their living conditions and inadequate sanitation and healthcare services. Therefore, the KRG calls on the international community, international non-governmental organizations, and philanthropists to pay greater attention to their situation.

To learn more about the humanitarian situation or how you can help support the vulnerable people in Kurdistan, please contact the Director of Public and Humanitarian Affairs at the US Representation.


Delovan Barwari
Director of Public and Humanitarian Affairs
Office:    +1 (202) 821-1861
Email:    delovan.barwari@us.gov.krd
Twitter: @DelovanBarwari