UNHCR: Over 1 mln Iraqis need shelter and food

Source: Xinhua | 04-09-2008 13:18

GENEVA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 1 million internal refugees in Iraq are in need of shelter and food, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday.

The situation of 2.77 million internally displaced Iraqis is shaky, and more than 1 million of them have no reliable income, Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at a news briefing here.

More than 300,000 refugees have no access to safe drinking water, while thousands need legal assistance to get other basic services, Pagonis said.

The agency said it was good news that the Kuwaiti government will provide 1 million U.S. dollars to help internally displaced Iraqis. The donation will be used to improve health care and education for the refugees.

Pagonis said it was difficult to reach assistance to the refugees due to the complexities of the situation in Iraq, but the agency aimed to help 400,000 people most in need this year, offering them protection and daily necessities.

She said money will also be allocated to restore infrastructure, especially health and education facilities, so as to improve local residents' capacity to receive refugees.

In January, UNHCR called for donations worth 261 million U.S. dollars to help internally displaced refugees in Iraq. It has only received about 100 million dollars so far.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei