Many people have recently attempted to leave Iraq through regular and irregular routes, including through Iran and Türkiye to reach the European Union (EU) to seek asylum. These journeys are often encouraged and organized by smugglers and travel agents who demand large cash payments to travel often with no guarantee of reaching your intended destination.

In the past years, thousands of those people and their families were stranded in dire situations in countries of transit with no shelter, no food or water, and no medical care. Many were pushed back at the borders, leaving them in a worse situation than before they undertook the journey, often with no money, high debt, and no house to go back to. Very few have reached the EU, and those who did, say that they and their family members and children suffered and were traumatized along the way.

Understand the Risks

While your right to seek asylum should be respected, be aware that traveling without a visa is full of risks, no matter your asylum claim, and may expose you and your family to extreme physical, mental, and financial harm.

Smugglers and other agents facilitating such travel may demand money from you before, during, and after your journey, and they cannot guarantee that you will reach your intended destination. You and your family may become victims of individuals who are motivated by profit or other gains, as they make promises to take you to another country unofficially. Such individuals will often not have your safety nor your interest in mind. They may be taking advantage of your situation and the fact that you are unable to travel legally. You and your family could risk abuse and exploitation.

Getting a visa for a country bordering the EU and reaching that country does not guarantee access to the EU. EU countries require separate visas to enter. Without one, you may get stuck without safe options, and you may be at risk of detention, separation from your family, or automatic return to your country of origin.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

As per instructions from the authorities in Duhok once an individual departs from KRI by air or land, they will no longer have access to UNHCR registration or be able to obtain a humanitarian residency permit, unless they have obtained permission from the Department of Residency prior to their departure.

Protect yourself and your family

Beware of claims and promises you see on social media and untrusted websites.

There are many fraudulent actors, websites, and pages on social media that make false claims and promises or pretend to be UNHCR, the UN, or foreign embassies in exchange for money or services.

If you see any organization or individual claiming to work for UNHCR and offering travel facilitation assistance for a fee, walk away and report. Please be reminded that all services provided by UN and humanitarian actors are free of cost.

Protect yourself, your family, and your community from fraud. If in doubt: pause, reflect, and report to UNHCR Iraq Anti-Fraud email: [email protected] or UNHCR Inspector General’s Office: [email protected], +41227398844 or fill the complaint portal www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php. Reporting a fraud allegation will not negatively affect you or the assistance you receive from UNHCR.

UN agencies and NGOs have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse. If you or anyone you know has been asked by any worker to do something inappropriate or any kind of sexual favor or activity in exchange for help, report the incident to [email protected]. All complaints are handled with high confidentiality.

Reach Out

If you or your family require advice, support, or counseling about your situation in Iraq, including if you wish to reunite with family members in the EU or UK, contact UNHCR or partners to discuss your options. Read further on complementary pathways page.

 

As of December 15th, 2022, the IIC number 80069999 has been discontinued. We encourage you to use the complaint boxes available at refugee camps, and UNHCR Community Support Centers (CSCs) if you wish to share your feedback about service providers in a confidential manner.  UNHCR registration teams are proactively contacting refugees and asylum seekers whose certificates have expired to undertake a verification, update their data (if necessary), and renew their certificates. UNHCR will contact you when you are eligible for renewal. Please be aware that it might not fall on the same day as your certificate’s expiration. UNHCR is aware that some refugees and asylum-seekers have expired certificates and these families and individuals will be prioritized for registration appointments. It is important that you keep UNHCR informed when you change your phone number by visiting the registration center in your location.  For registration and sharing general updates, please notify UNHCR registration centers or get an appointment through the numbers below. The KOBO link below is meant for appointments related to registration and are not meant for requests for assistance.   

UNHCR has developed the KOBO Registration scheduling form to enable Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Iraq to request Registration related appointments in simple steps. You can access the UNHCR registration scheduling form via this link https://enketo.unhcr.org/x/CfLDELSa click here for more information on the different types of appointments you can schedule using the form.

Be aware of imposter calls targeting refugees and asylum seekers. Calls to schedule registration and resettlement interviews with you will be made on 0774 440 4440. You cannot call this number. DO NOT PAY!  All services provided by UNHCR, and Partners are free of charge! If you have witnessed fraud or corruption, or if you have been asked for money or anything else in exchange for UNHCR services, please report to: [email protected] or UNHCR Inspector General’s Office: [email protected], +41227398844 www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides food assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees with the greatest needs and who reside in a refugee camp. Have you heard about WFP’s chatbot? It’s available online! Find @IraqAskMebot on Telegram; Telegram: Contact @IraqAskMeBot for more information about WFP’s projects, assistance and protection.

What is changing?

UNHCR informs you of an important change to emergency referral services for refugee camps in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Currently, UNHCR supports emergency referrals of patients from refugee camps to public hospitals outside the camps. However, this support will be discontinued by the end of June 2023.

Who will be impacted?

This change will only affect refugees who are currently living in refugee camp settings in KRI. Urban refugees in KRI already use the national emergency call center (122) to request emergency services.

How can services be attained?

If you require emergency medical attention after June 2023, you will need to use the national emergency call center (122) to request assistance. The Kurdish Emergency Number (122) serves Iraqi nationals, Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

What will remain in place?

We want to reassure you that comprehensive primary health care (PHC) services will continue to be available for Syrian refugees in camps, supported by UNHCR and other UN agencies. The comprehensive package includes the provision of primary health care, immunization, reproductive health, nutrition services including growth monitoring, and mental health and psychosocial support services. Both curative (consultations, provision of medicines, laboratory tests, emergency services, referrals) and preventive (immunization and reproductive health services) services are available and will continue either in camp based PHCs or public PHCs near refugee camps.

a training programme for youth leaders in refugee contexts offered by COHERE Charity and UNHCR

Cohere Charity is an international organization that specializes in supporting refugee leaders to lead in the humanitarian response through capacity strengthening, advocacy, coordination and funding.UNHCR, in collaboration with Cohere Charity are therefore launching a global 6-month part-time training programme for young (aspiring) leaders across Middle East, MENA (Middle East and North America), Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The overarching objective of this training is to support selected refugee youth from the selected countries to develop substantive knowledge and practical skills to advance their public speaking, leadership, content generation, advocacy, and other relevant capacities, thus equipping them to participate effectively and lead change in their communities and beyond. The training aims at empowering these young people not only to tell their own unique stories but also to speak with confidence on the complex issues they have first-hand experience of, such as peacebuilding, social cohesion, opportunities for their future, and to lead efforts to expand initiatives, including on education, livelihoods, protection and solutions for refugees.

The training will give participants access to youth networks, relevant information, and opportunities to share ideas and experiences, and provides an avenue to collaborate to develop and scale their contributions to society.

Audience

The programme targets young people from regions which host youth who are 1) displaced, 2) returnees and 3) active members of their community. The target age of participants is 15-30, with some flexibility depending on individual circumstances.

Prerequisites

Participants are expected to:

• Understand, write and speak English

• Be willing to commit to the entire six-month programme, including 2-3 hour sessions and 1 hour for self-study per week.
• Have a demonstrated interest in one or more of the following:

• volunteering in the community,
  • leading or engaging in entrepreneurship projects,
  • tackling social issues,
  • building peaceful societies,
  • expanding access to higher education and livelihoods for displaced youth, and/or
  • a commitment to community and youth work, youth participation, and/or activism.

• Commit to remaining engaged with the group after the end of the programme, including creation of a regional youth network, and participating in relevant events/dialogues and content development.
• Be open to sharing the skills they have acquired with others in their community/region/country, in particular youth who may not meet the English language requirement.

Content and structure

The programme consists of:

• 1 weekly expert session on topics relevant to youth leadership.

The Session topics listed below      are    tentative based on consultations with refugee students, networks and leaders.

• Introduction to refugee youth leadership
• Leadership and critical thinking in humanitarian context
• Use of media and delivering positive messaging
• Organization capacity building
• Regional networking
• Media engagement and campaigning
• Higher education paths for displaced youth
• From learning to earning( internship, interview and CV)
• Digital engagement and connected education
• From resilience to action( What does local action mean?)
• Employment and entrepreneurship
• Content creation and speech writing

• Peace building , mediation and conflict resolution
• Youth-led global advocacy
• Reporting and documentation
• Climate action and refugee engagement
• Age, gender and diversity

All sessions will be facilitated by 2 representatives from of the Tertiary Refugee Student Network (TRSN), and the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium (CLCC) who will be responsible for:

• Encouraging youth to attend, participate during sessions, and stay engaged throughout the programme
• Moderating sessions, introducing speakers, moderating Q&A
• Recording sessions and technical facilitation (presentations, videos, etc) where required.

Weekly thematic sessions will be led by external experts identified by Cohere Charity and UNHCR. Upon completion of the Programme, certificates will be issued to the participants.

Logistics

Participants to ensure they have stable and reliable internet connectivity to ensure effective participation in online sessions . Weekly thematic sessions will take place every Wednesday at 1pm CET(to be confirmed with participants in case of other AGD considerations).

After the training programme

At the end of the training, refugee youth are expected to stay engaged and support the following training cohort by creating a hub for youth to be connected and lead initiatives and campaigns. Youth participants in each country are expected to organize a country-level (or, where this is not feasible, county/settlement level) youth-led event at the end of the training, supported by the UNHCR country office and partners, to share their learnings and initiatives with other displaced youth.

Country-level events will be followed by a regional conference in early 2023, where a selected number of representatives from each location will come together in person to connect, share their experience and good practices, and present projects for funding by UNHCR. UNHCR, ILO, UNICEF and/or thematic experts will constitute an expert panel to evaluate projects presented during the conference. Promising projects will be supported in applying for funding for refugee-led grant agreements by local UNHCR offices/the regional bureau, with funding up to USD 4,000.

Lastly, upon completion of the programme, ILO, UNHCR and UNICEF regional and country offices will create youth leaders’ profiles and repositories to facilitate their engagement in upcoming regional and global speaking, advocacy and other opportunities.

Learning, adaptation & feedback

The learnings of this youth training programme will facilitate other training in 2024 and provide valuable insights into needs and capacities of youth across the region. To capture learning, and collect feedback, a baseline questionnaire will be administered to participants before the first session, a midline questionnaire after 3 months, and an end-line survey after completion of the programme. Participants will also have the opportunity to channel anonymous feedback through the TRSN /CLCC facilitators.

Schedule

Call for applications: 15th May 2023

Application deadline: 28th May 2023

Successful candidates announced: 19th June 2023

Programme start date: 28th June 2023

If interested, please apply here. Cohere and UNHCR value diversity.

What is Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme?

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has reopened its cash assistance as part of its Social Safety Programme. The programme targets individuals with specific vulnerabilities including single mothers, widows, elderly persons, people with disabilities, orphans, and low-income families.

Who is included?

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), local community and IDP returnees living in Iraq are included to be assessed for their vulnerabilities. In addition, refugees who are currently living in Federal Iraq and have a valid PCMoI-ID card issued by the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs in Ministry of Interior can be considered for the inclusion in the cash assistance programme.

IDPs in KRI – CAMP

IDPs in Kurdistan Region – both in urban and camp set up – have been included in the SSN programme. However, the Ministry will dispatch a team of surveyors who will visit IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to conduct assessments for the inclusion of Internally Displaced Persons in its cash assistance programme.

IDPs in Federal Iraq – URBAN 

The Ministry has displaced a team of surveyors who will visit IDP households in Center and South Governorates to conduct assessments for the inclusion of Internally Displaced Persons in its cash assistance programme.  

The ministry surveyors will target displaced persons with specific vulnerabilities including single mothers, widows, elderly persons, people with disabilities, orphans, and low-income families are registered.  

Please note that the surveyors will require that IDPs present valid national identity documents, proof of habitual residency and evidence to support their vulnerabilities. 

IDPs, Returnees and refugees with a valid PCMoI-ID card (permanent residency) living in Federal Iraq can register at https://spa.gov.iq/umbrella/  if they are among the vulnerable groups as below:

• People with disabilities or with special needs
• Widows, divorcees, wives of missing spouses, and unmarried adult women
• Orphans
• Families of detainees whose sentences after completing a year from their sentences
• Residents of state shelters
• Sentenced juveniles whose sentences exceeding one year from their court sentences
• Married students until they finish secondary school
• Low-income families whose income is not sufficient to raise them above the poverty line

Supporting Documents

To apply for the cash assistance programme, applicants must attach identity and locality documents as below:

IDPs and Returnees:

• Require providing valid identity document or civil status of the head of the family and its members, with a recent photo of the head of the family only.
• Proof of residency.

Refugees:

• Must hold a valid PCMoI-ID card and provide a proof of residency.

Proof of Vulnerabilities:

To be considered for the cash assistance programme you are required to provide supporting documents for your vulnerabilities, as follow:

• Persons with disabilities and other special needs are required to provide proof of their conditions.
• Widows are required to provide death certificate with a copy of registration from the Civil Status Directorate.
• Divorced women require to provide a final divorce decision with a copy of the registration from the Civil Status Directorate and a custody decision for the children if they are in her custody.
• Wives of missing spouses are required to submit a missing person certificate from a competent court or equivalent documents indicating pending decision from a competent court.
• Unmarried adult women under 35 years of age who have lost both parents must submit evidence from the administrative unit with the testimony of two witnesses stating that there is no legal breadwinner.
• Single, unmarried women aged between 35 and 54 years of age require submitting a copy of civil status confirming their marital status.
• Individuals who are incapacitated to work due to illness are required to present a medical report indicating their inability to work.
• The family of an inmate requires to submit a decision that indicates the final degree and sentence period which should exceed one year.
• Orphans are required to submit death certificate for both parents and/or the death certificate of the father.

For more information about the requirements, please carefully review it on https://spa.gov.iq/umbrella/

Protect yourself from Fraudsters:

IMPORTANT! Access to the survey is free of charge. DO NOT PAY. If you feel that you are excluded from the survey, or you have been asked to pay in exchange for your inclusion in the programme, you are encouraged to launch a complaint through the following link https://spa.gov.iq/umbrella/contacts.aspx. Alternatively, IDPs with such grievances can call 1018 to notify the ministry teams of their situation.

If you feel excluded, please call the dedicated hotline 1018 to notify the ministry teams of your situation.

Since 2016, UNHCR has been providing cash assistance to the most vulnerable families across Iraq to meet the basic needs of IDPs and IDP returnees. As most of the families have returned to their areas of origin and some have begun to adapt to life in the local Governorates areas, we are hopeful that the provided support over the last several years has enabled families to begin to stabilize their lives after displacement.

Why we can no longer provide cash assistance

UNHCR recognizes that cash assistance is a critical modality to provide most vulnerable families with help, providing a means to allow to pay for basic daily needs, including rent. After receiving assistance for number of years, the communities are encouraged to maintain self-reliance by relying on the skills they have and seek to acquire needed skills/professions to utilize in supporting themselves and families and rely less on the assistance provided by UN agencies which is decreasing year after year.

Unfortunately, UNHCR has experienced unpreceded difficulty in securing funds for Iraq due to multiple ongoing emergencies in many parts of the world. Therefore, UNHCR will discontinue provision of all types of cash assistance for IDPs and returnees in Iraq due to limited resources.

UNHCR and partners will instead provide long term assistance and strengthen access to services, including through support for civil documentation needs.

We regret the inconvenience and hardship you may experience since you will not receive cash assistance as you do previously. At all times, our beneficiaries remain our greatest priority. We deeply value our relationship with communities we serve and are committed to provide you with assistance within our limited resources. We understand and respect your needs but unfortunately, we cannot continue provision of cash assistance due to limited resources.

Discontinuation of IDPs enrollment in ASSIST

Since UNHCR will no longer provide cash assistance, therefore, it has stopped IDPs enrollment in ASSIST for provision of cash assistance.

Be-ware of fraudulent messages

Be vigilant and do not fall victim of any scam or fraud. If you receive any phone call or message for enrollment of cash assistance and asks you for money in return; do not pay money or share your personal details. Protect yourself and your family from fraud.