Iraq Humanitarian Transition Overview 2024

Intoduction

During 2023, the efforts of the Iraq Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) focused on enhancing Government ownership by progressively handing over humanitarian operations and the coordination role to the line ministries in the Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This followed the complete deactivation of the Humanitarian Cluster system in December 2022, which was replaced by sectors, forums, and working groups, co-chaired with the relevant line ministries.

The GoI has assumed leadership in its respective sectors, with the UN and NGOs remaining actively involved as co-chairs and continuing to provide technical guidance and expertise.

To ensure continued coordination at the governorates’ level, Joint Coordination Forums (JCFs) have been established following extensive discussions led by the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator, with the Council of Ministers’ Secretariat and the Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCCC) of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The JCFs have replaced the pre-existing humanitarian coordination architecture, serving as nexus-type coordination body co-chaired by governorate authorities and a representative from the aid community, with memberships of humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actors.

Iraq has witnessed significant advancements in the humanitarian sphere, with a notable reduction in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from seven million, as a consequence of conflict, to 1.1 million currently. Out of all IDPs, nearly 157,714 persons continue to live in IDP camps mainly in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and in East Mosul, in Ninewa Governorate. Over 4.8 million individuals have been identified as returnees, with a relatively slow return movement witnessed in 2023 as the remaining IDPs caseload faces complex barriers and challenges hindering return.

In light of the humanitarian transition, the Iraq HCT has developed the Humanitarian Transition Overview (HTO) for the second consecutive year. While the 2023 HTO described the critical residual humanitarian needs and HCT’s priorities, the 2024 HTO provides an overview of the humanitarian efforts conducted in 2023 and the support to IDPs provided by the Government. It also identifies the major humanitarian gaps and challenges which require continued attention both by the Government and the humanitarian community. Furthermore, it outlines progress in the Humanitarian Transition and achievements made under the Durable Solutions framework.

During the early stages of drafting the HTO, the GoI announced plans to close the remaining IDP camps and withdraw its services by 30 July 2024. Humanitarian and Durable Solutions partners are working jointly on a preparedness plan, ahead of the implementation of the decision. The UN continues its advocacy on dignified and voluntary choices for IDPs within the framework of the “Roadmap for Accelerating the Implementation of the National Plan to Resolve Displacement in Iraq” to ensure a more holistic response and a more sustainable solution to the displacement file.

The UN and its partners are committed to continue working with the GoI and KRG to address remaining humanitarian needs and ensure durable solutions for displaced populations residing in and out-ofcamps, including through their support under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), particularly its Strategic Priority 5 (SP 5) on “achieving dignified, safe and voluntary durable solutions to displacement in Iraq”, complemented where necessary by humanitarian interventions by UN and civil society partners.