KRG pays $2.6 a day to host a displaced individual, says official

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The cost of hosting an internally displaced person or Syrian refugee is 2.6 dollars a day, which is covered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a crisis management official told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

About a million IDPs and refugees have been registered in the Kurdistan Region, where they mostly live in host communities, Ali Said, Director of Information Management and Data Exchange Directorate at the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC), told Kurdistan 24.

The Kurdish government pays 2.6 dollars to host a displaced person that lives in the Kurdistan Region, according to Said, adding the figure is set according to a “special metric”.

The displaced population is also provided with food parcels, detergents, and other necessities, he added.

KRG Minister of Interior Reber Ahmed previously said 70 percent of the cost of hosting the displaced population is covered by the Kurdish government while the rest is covered by international organizations and NGOs.

Read More: KRG covers 70 percent of expenditures of refugees and IDPs: Interior Minister

Out of 9,13,311 refugees and IDPs registered in the Kurdistan Region, more than 6,24,161 of whom are Iraqi IDPs while the rest are refugees from Syria, Turkey, Iran, Palestinian Territories, and other places, according to the official.

The Kurdistan Region houses 36 displacement camps, of which 10 camps are inhabited by refugees and 26 other camps, are for IDPs.

While the Iraqi government has shut down most of the camps under its control in a bid to "end" displacement issues in the country, the Kurdistan Region has maintained its long-standing position that the return of refugees and IDPs should be voluntary and free of coercion, KRG officials have said on numerous occasions. 

The UNHCR Representative in Iraq Jean-Nicolas Beuze in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24 aired on Monday night extended the international refugee agency's appreciation for the Kurdish region's efforts in hosting the displaced population.

Read More: Kurdistan Region hosts nearly 250,000 refugees, reveals UNHCR representative