Violence and conflict in Iraq have led to the widespread displacement of people both within the country and to neighboring countries in the region. It is now estimated that there are some 2.2 million people displaced within the country and approximately 2 million in neighboring states in the Middle East. Of those displaced outside of the country, there are an estimated 1.4 to 1.5 million in Syria, 500,000 in Jordan and smaller numbers in Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey and Iran.
In Iraq, in response to the priority of food needs of IDPs, this emergency operation intends to supply complementary food rations for up to 750,000 food-insecure, post-Samarra IDPs who have crossed governorate boundaries and cannot access their PDS rations.
The operation does not intend to replace the PDS, but rather act as a stop-gap measure to help meet the immediate food needs of those persons newly displaced between governorates, who are registered with the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) until they can be integrated in the PDS. This segment of the operation will phase out as the Government of Iraq absorbs the IDPs into the PDS.
In Syria, WFP will provide basic food rations to targeted, registered Iraqis beginning with a caseload of 155,000 at the outset of the operation, increasing by some 17,300 newly registered beneficiaries each month, to reach a total of 362,000 by the end of 2008.
Targeting will be based on registration with UNHCR and refined to reduce inclusion and exclusion errors. An outreach network is being established to identify additional vulnerable families and to fast-track the most needy for immediate assistance.
As food markets in Syria function well, WFP will explore the possibility of establishing a food voucher or cash-transfer system for the provision of food assistance to be implemented in the second quarter of 2008 depending on the results of a study. As Iraqis are not permitted to work officially and many have difficulty in establishing new sources of income, the support to the vulnerable population in Syria will need to continue until they are able to safely return home, or are granted resettlement in a third country.
The operation will be implemented in close cooperation with the respective Governments as well as UN agencies and other partners to ensure complementary interventions. Priority will be given to local and regional purchases where possible.
The EMOP is in line with WFP Strategic Objective 1: to save lives by enabling households to have safe access to sufficient and appropriate food (MDG 1 and 4) and WFP Strategic Objective 2: to protect livelihoods in crisis situations and enhance resilience to shocks (MDGs 1 and 7).
