Iraq | IDPs - Civil & Identity Documentation (April 2021)

IN BRIEF

Civil documentation is vital to one’s enjoyment of fundamental rights. Missing civil documentation impedes one’s ability to access basic services, education, healthcare, and social security benefits and can lead to restricted freedom of movement, increased risk of arrest and detention, exclusion from restitution and/or reconstruction programmes and the inability to participate in the public affairs of the country.

Despite this, lack of civil documentation is one of the main protection issues facing internally displaced persons (IDPs) 1 and returnees many of whom face numerous barriers seeking to obtain and/or renew civil documentation. In response, in 2021 UNHCR, in cooperation with government and civil society partners, continues to implement and supports projects and initiatives to enable IDPs and returnees to access civil documentation.