Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Tunnicliffe (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 November 2008.

Iraq

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What assistance they are giving to the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq to assist the development of civil society and protection of minorities.

Answer: The Department for International Development (DfID) does not provide assistance directly to the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq. DfID's assistance to the development of civil society and the protection of minorities in Kurdistan is delivered through the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Through its nationwide IMPACT programme in Kurdistan, UNICEF is training 75 programme managers and health workers from hard-to-reach districts, distributing midwifery and obstetrical kits to areas that contain many internally displaced people (IDPs) and conducting technical assessments of the impact on wells of the drought currently affecting northern Iraq. WFP is distributing food to IDPs across Kurdistan as part of its nationwide food distribution programme. The ICRC and UNHCR have both provided assistance, in the form of blankets, heaters, jerry cans, cooking tools, plastic sheeting and food to people who are living in tent camps, having returned to Kurdistan from being refugees in neighbouring countries. IOM has provided them with emergency fuel. In the wake of the flash flood that occurred in Choman district in September, IOM also provided to 100 IDPs assistance, which included kerosene heaters, stoves, water tanks and generators.

Secondary information