Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 11 October 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 October 2017. It was answered by Lord Bates (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 October 2017 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Iraq: Refugees

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that vulnerable Iraqi refugees from Yazidi, Christian and Shia minority groups have the same access to international assistance, such as the right to work, education and asylum, that has been offered to Syrian refugees.

Answer: This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and over £25 million of support for UN stabilisation efforts, including support for the Funding Facility for Stabilisation (FFS) managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The FFS is currently implementing 171 projects in Christian communities and 80 in Yezidi areas. 746,000 Iraqs from minority communities will benefit from these stabilisation projects when they return home in the months ahead. DFID delivery partners have clear guidelines in place following international humanitarian laws which prevent discrimination in the delivery of aid.

Secondary information