UN refugee chief appeals for $280 million to help Iraqi refugees

UN refugee chief appeals for $280 million to help Iraqi refugees

2011-01-27 12:09:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The head of the United Nations refugee agency on Wednesday announced an inter-agency appeal for $280 million to support Iraqi refugees, an official statement said.

This will help over 190,000 Iraqi refugees living in the region, the majority in Syria and Jordan. "I appeal to donor governments to recognize the critical needs of Iraqi refugees, particularly those who are becoming more vulnerable by the day," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, who just returned from a visit to Iraq.

According to the UN, 34 percent of the Iraqi refugees registered with the agency are considered to be vulnerable, including thousands of people with critical health conditions.

Over 89,000 Iraqi refugees have returned  to Iraq in the past three years, but the number has slowly decreased and new Iraqis continue to seek for asylum.

Guterres highlighted that the burden on host communities and host governments in the region is "enormous.â€

The UN agency estimates that 60,000 Iraqi refugees are in need of resettlement.

The Regional Response Plan for Iraqi  Refugees brings together the plans of 40 international and non-governmental  organizations (NGOs) that are supporting Iraqi refugees in 12 countries, including Syria, Jordan, Lebanon,  Egypt, Turkey, Iran  and the six Gulf States.

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