The UK is concerned by the recent short-notice closures of displacement camps in Iraq, which has affected 26,300 people to date out of a total population of 110,000 in federal Iraq. The speed of camp closures and lack of coordination with the UN, NGOs and donors risks forcing vulnerable people to return to areas without adequate shelter, infrastructure, or services. The UK is coordinating advocacy efforts with international partners to slow the rate of unplanned camp closures.

Since 2014 the UK has provided £272 million in humanitarian support to millions of vulnerable Iraqis displaced by the Daesh conflict including providing food to over 500,000 people and life saving healthcare services to 4.3 million people. The UK will continue to work with the Government of Iraq, UN and partners to ensure that the conditions for voluntary and safe returns are met.

The UK is committed to supporting women and girls who have been victims of sexual violence and that those responsible are brought to justice. We are pushing for justice and accountability for all victims of Daesh. This includes leadership in ensuring the UNSC unanimously adopted Resolution 2379 on Daesh Accountability, and contributing £1m to support the establishment of a UN investigative team (UNITAD) that will collect evidence of Daesh crimes in Iraq.

UK aid has enabled the UN Trust Fund to support the Free Yezidi Foundation, a women’s and children’s centre that provides safety and support for women who have suffered at the hands of Daesh. Furthermore, the UK has contributed over £23 million to the UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilisation (FFS), to help the Iraqi Government stabilise areas of return and re-establish security, basic services and inclusive local governance. UNDP and partners of the FFS regularly consult religious and community leaders in areas in which it is operating, to understand return trends and develop strategies to address the barriers that impact on the decision of families to return and rebuild their communities. In addition to this, in January, DFID announced the allocation of a further £5 million to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). This funding is to support six explosive clearance teams across the country's Sinjar Province to clear explosives from critical areas such as schools, hospitals and roads, which will improve the conditions for communities to return home safely.