UK to provide new help to Iraqis persecuted by Daesh
£50 million of humanitarian support will provide life-saving aid to the most vulnerable Iraqis including women, children, the elderly and sick.
Shelter provided by UK aid for people displaced by Daesh in Iraq. Picture: Florian Seriex/Action Against Hunger
Tens of thousands of Iraqis suffering in the face of Daesh brutality are set to receive food, medicine and shelter, after a new package of UK aid was announced today by International Development Secretary Priti Patel.
Speaking ahead of an Iraq pledging conference in Washington, Ms Patel confirmed that £50 million will provide life-saving aid to the most vulnerable Iraqis including women, children, the elderly and sick.
The assistance will allow people to buy basic essentials such as food and medicine, as well as providing clean water, vaccinations and shelter.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle Daesh and its poisonous ideology.
This new support will save lives and alleviate suffering while continuing to underline the UK’s commitment to taking its international obligations seriously and leading from the front when dealing with the big challenges of our time, including conflict and instability.
Some 3.3 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes as a result of conflict in the wider region, with a further 10 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Notes to editors
-
The US will be hosting a Counter-Daesh Coalition Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting in Washington 20-21 July, and is hosting a pledging event for Iraq on 20 July. The pledging conference will be co-hosted with Canada, Germany and Japan.
-
This new support brings the UK’s total contribution to Iraq since 2014 to £129.5 million. This funding has: * provided enough medicine and emergency kits to reach 150,000 people; * funded psychological support for over 50,000 displaced Iraqis, including specialist support for children and teenagers; and * cleared over 1 million square metres of suspected Explosive Remnants of War-contaminated land to enable the establishment of 5 refugee camps.
-
The £50 million in new funding will be made available to aid agencies working on the ground over the coming year and allocated depending on where the need is greatest.
-
As part of the Iraq pledging conference in Washington, the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced on Thursday 21 July an additional £10.5m to stabilise and secure areas of Iraq freed from Daesh, bringing the FCO’s funding for this programme to nearly £20m.
General media queries (24 hours)
Email mediateam@dfid.gov.uk
Telephone 020 7023 0600
If you have an urgent media query, please email the DFID Media Team on mediateam@dfid.gov.uk in the first instance and we will respond as soon as possible.