Kurdistan Regional Government
Representation in the United States
Washington D.C.
Welcome to our April 2020 Humanitarian Bulletin
The KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Center (KRG-JCC) office in Duhok distribute aid provided by the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and IKL to the victims of the flash flood in Duhok province.
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has also felt the tragic impact of the outbreak. It has caused hardship to both the local population and displaced people. Further, devastating flash floods swept through parts of the Kurdistan Region in late March, sustaining property and other damage.

The KRG is experiencing a huge funding gap for supporting the displaced people, and the current outbreak will further complicate things. Host communities are also experiencing hardship, with some local NGOs delivering food to families facing difficulties. We call on our friends in the United States and the international community to help at this time of crisis.

In response to the pandemic, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has proactively taken measures to contain the invisible enemy. As part of its social distancing strategy, it extended holidays, canceled religious services and other public gatherings, suspended school and flights, and imposed a curfew across Kurdistan. Further, as of April 18th, the KRG Ministry of Health (MOH) has tested about 33,067 people for COVID-19, of which, a total of 344 confirmed cases have been recorded. So far, 318 people have recovered, four have lost their lives, and 22 are still active. 

Five new cases were reported in the past few days and most of the active cases are expected to recover in the coming days. Therefore, KRG is planning to ease restrictions on essential movements as early as April 24th in most cities. Moreover, the people of Duhok celebrated their victory over COVID-19 by turning their home lights off and lighting candles on their rooftops for five minutes. 

Additionally, the KRG's Join Crisis Coordination Center (JCC) has also taken precautions in the camps housing internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while coordinating their activities with the relevant international organizations. Fortunately, no coronavirus cases have been reported in the camps, but travel restrictions have impacted prices and the movement of aid deliveries to the camps. The lockdown has also devastated the local economy, especially after the sharp drop in oil prices. Hence, the situation will likely further limit KRG’s ability to meet the needs of nearly 1.1 million displaced people, which amounts to 20 percent of Kurdistan Region's population. The KRG has been shouldering 70% of the nearly 1 billion USD annual cost for providing basic services to the refugees and IDPs.
HIGHLIGHTS

COVID-19 in Kurdistan:
Total cases tested: 33,067
Total Positive cases: 344
Total Recovered: 318
Total deaths: 4
Total active cases: 22

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

More than 1,600 displaced people arrived in the Kurdistan Region since February 2020.

More than half of the displaced people are women and children.
According to the JCC, about 40% of the refugees live in 10 camps and 20% of the IDPs live in 28 camps across three provinces in the Kurdistan Region. There is a total of 264,720 refugees throughout the Kurdistan Region: 244,663 are Syrian Kurds, 10,844 are Iranian Kurds, 8,513 are Kurds from Turkey, and 700 are Palestinians.   Further, out of the 787,706 IDPs that are registered in Kurdistan, 40% are Sunni Arabs, 30% Ezidi Kurds, 13% Muslim Kurds, 7% Christians, and 10% others.
Nonetheless, new refugees and IDPs continue to cross into the Kurdistan Region from northeast Syria (Rojava). Additionally, the political gridlock in Baghdad, compounded with sounds of a resurgence of ISIS in some Sunni areas and the disputed territories (Kirkuk, Sinjar, and Khaniqin) continues to affect the mental and physical health, living conditions, and recovery of millions of displaced people. It has also led to an increase in the return of IDPs to Kurdistan.

The Kurdistan Regional Government is grateful and expresses its sincere gratitude to all of the countries, UN Agencies, and international and local NGOs for their financial support and dedication to alleviating the suffering of the vulnerable people in Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq.

The KRG, however, is experiencing a huge funding gap for supporting the displaced people, and the current outbreak will further complicate things. On average, it costs about $2.7 million US dollars per day ($81 million per month) to provide basic civic services to the IDPs and refugees. Lack of funding has forced humanitarian partners to either reduce or completely terminate services and ongoing projects. Fortunately, the USAID is donating $670,000 to Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The refugees and IDPs are particularly vulnerable to the virus and other diseases because of their living conditions and insufficient sanitation and healthcare services. 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 Humanitarian Affairs at the US Representation.


Delovan Barwari
Director of Humanitarian Affairs
Office:    +1 (202) 821-1861
Email:    [email protected]
Twitter: @DelovanBarwari