PM Barzani urges more aid for refugees in Kurdistan Region

"Violence and persecution in Iraq, Syria and beyond has driven far too many from their homes. Many of us in the Kurdistan Region were refugees once too."
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On World Refugee Day, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani urged the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region's partners to help Erbil meet the $1.5 billion per year required for assisting refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) residing in the autonomous region. 

"Violence and persecution in Iraq, Syria and beyond has driven far too many from their homes. Many of us in the Kurdistan Region were refugees once too," Prime Minister Barzani tweeted on Monday.

"Kurdistan will remain a shelter. I urge the fed govt, and our partners to help meet the $1.5bn/year needs." 

World Refugee Day is a UN-designated day observed every June 20 to raise awareness about refugees' conditions.

"The #WorldRefugeeDay is marked on 20th June each year to celebrate the courage & resilience of the tens of millions of people forced to flee their homes due to war or persecution," Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson Jotiar Adil tweeted

"We still host more than 900,000 Refugees and IDPs, and we'll continue to do so, as long as they need us," he added. 

In mid-October 2020, the Iraqi government announced a plan to begin closing displacement camps across the country in three phases, the third of which would be the closure of the Kurdistan Region's camps. 

However, Kurdish officials affirm they will not close any camps in the autonomous region unless it is assured that the areas the civilians are returning to are safe. 

"The KRG always supports the voluntary return of the Refugees and IDPs to their hometown. However, the stability and security of their hometowns are still fragile since 2017," tweeted Lawk Ghafuri, the Head of Foreign Media Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers.