Kurdistan Region's experience in dealing with refugees is ‘highly appreciated’, says minister
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Region’s experience in dealing with refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is “highly appreciated” at the Global Refugee Forum, the Region’s interior minister told Kurdistan24 on Friday.
Remarks by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Interior Reber Ahmed came on the sidelines of the second day of GRF 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland along with Robert Andrew, the United Nations Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement.
“Our experience in dealing with refugees and IDPs is highly appreciated here,” Minister Ahmed told Kurdistan24.
The UN has shared a roadmap with both Erbil and Baghdad officials about the displacement dossier in the country, according to the minister.
Minister Ahmed asked the UN official to visit Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, to further discuss the roadmap with both governments to end the IDPs and refugees dossier.
The Kurdish official is leading the Iraqi delegation to the quadrennial GRF, which is described as “the world’s largest international gathering of refugees,” by the United Nations Refugee Agency, also known as the UNHCR.
The conference aims to discuss wide-ranging topics concerning boosting the self-reliance of refugees and easing pressure on host communities as well as the challenges.
Kurdistan Region still hosts 913,311 refugees and Iraqi IDPs, of whom 642,161 are IDPs while 253,365 others are Syrian refugees, according to the latest figures published on Friday by the KRG Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC).
Current Census: IDPs&Refugees Population in KRI:
— JCC_KRG (@JccKrg) December 15, 2023
KRI hosts a significant. No:of displaced individuals:913,311 in total,including 642,161 IDPs,253,365 Syrian refugees, About 30% live in camps,while 70% are scattered in cities.Distribution:41% in Erbil, 40% in Duhok,&19% in Slemani pic.twitter.com/58yyvmmLbt
The 70 percent of the displaced population live among the host communities, according to the government agency.
The UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, has applauded the KRG’s efforts in hosting the displaced communities, particularly in providing access to health and education.
The Region’s Ministry of Education has done “something unique in the world” in integrating Syrian refugee teachers and students into the education system, the UNHCR Representative in Iraq Jean-Nicolas Beuze told Kurdistan24 in late November in an exclusive interview.
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.