UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Published purpose

September 2016 – The humanitarian situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate as armed clashes between Daesh and government forces drive displacement. Since January 2014, over 3.3 million people have been displaced and an additional 887,000 previously displaced people have returned to their homes that have often been destroyed, making it one of the largest cases of internal displacement in the world. Persecution of minority groups is an ongoing concern as well as the protection of women and children who are at an increased risk of (and in some cases targeted for) sexual violence such as rape, as well as child, early and forced marriage. Canada is helping reduce the vulnerability of hundreds of thousands of crisis-affected people, especially women and children, through a broad spectrum of humanitarian assistance activities across Iraq. GAC’s multi-year humanitarian support to UNICEF is contributing to improved health, nutritional status, and access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for vulnerable persons in conflict-affected regions of Iraq. Project activities include: (1) improving WASH behaviours in vulnerable communities, schools and health facilities; (2) providing rapid response mechanisms for the newly displaced; and (3) improving access to high-impact health and nutrition interventions, especially in governorates with high mortality rates and in humanitarian situations for newborns, children and mothers.