The UK is releasing an £8 million package of emergency humanitarian assistance to get lifesaving aid to tens of thousands of people across northern and central Iraq who have fled ISIL terrorists, International Development Secretary Justine Greening has announced. The £8 million in new aid declared today brings to £13 million the total aid to Iraq announced since the current crisis began. It follows £5 million already provided by the UK to the UN Iraq Humanitarian Strategic Response Plan, for UN and NGO partners to support up to 140,000 people.
“The world has been horrified by the brutal persecution of vulnerable minority groups by ISIL extremists in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes and we are extremely concerned for their safety. This aid from the British people will help the Yazidi community, who are now cut off on Mount Sinjar, get immediate emergency support,” Greening said.
The aid includes two million pound of emergency humanitarian supplies for 75,000 people, including aid that can be air dropped to help those trapped in the Sinjar Mountains as quickly as possible. Supplies will include reusable filtration containers filled with clean water, tents and tarpaulins to provide basic shelter, and solar lights that can also recharge mobile phones to enable communication.
Of these £3 million of fast-tracked funding will go to charities and NGOs who are already on the ground and helping displaced people in northern Iraq. This will go via DFID’s Rapid Response Facility, which has now been activated to deal with the crisis.
There will be £2.5 million of support for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide immediate medical and humanitarian assistance; and a further £500,000 that will ensure Kurdish and UN systems are able to coordinate and respond to humanitarian needs in the region.