The World Federation of KSIMC

The World Federation of KSIMC attended the 22nd Special Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva to strongly advocate for greater support to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) of Iraq and a long term solution to the current crisis.

On the 1st of September, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) held the 22nd Special Session of the Human Rights Council, to where The World Federation of KSIMC presented the Written Intervention, and we delivered an Oral Intervention about the need to provide humanitarian aid to all parts of the country.

At the inception of the current crisis, The World Federation of KSIMC began its work in the provision of emergency relief in Iraq, including conducting Rapid Needs Assessments of the needs of Internally Displaced People across Iraq. The Rapid Needs Assessments highlighted the need for greater emergency relief the South of Iraq. The South of Iraq currently hosts approximately 200,000 of the most vulnerable IDPs who face being displaced for a second time. Rapid Needs Assessments indicate the current temporary housing conditions, and the lack of a WASH solution, will result in the spread of disease which will result in a fatality rate of 10% of the people residing on the roads between Najaf, Karbala, and Basrah. Currently many IDPs have taken shelter in mosques, religious centres, churches, and open plan areas where families lives in cramped spaces. These spaces were only designed to host people for short periods of time, and are ill-equipped to host such large numbers of people.

Christian, Yezidi, Turkmen, Shabak, Kaka’e, Sabaeans and Shi’a communities have been targeted through particularly brutal persecution, as ISIL has ruthlessly carried out what may amount to ethnic and religious cleansing in areas under its control. This has placed further pressure of IDP camps, and highlighted the need for a massively increased focus on provision for IDP’s in Iraq. This is not a long term solution, but a vital step to prevent widespread suffering and the further loss of life from disease.

The World Federation of KSIMC also unequivocally supports the resolution (S-22/… The human rights situation in Iraq in the light of abuses committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and associated groups)  passed by the Human Rights Council and would like to invite the delegation of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to visit the work we are doing in the South of Iraq and we offer our assistance to the Iraqi Government and the OHCHR to work together in order to provide emergency relief assistance and a long term solution towards Post Conflict Transition, and Development.