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 humanitarian support to UNICEF’s “No Lost Generation” (NLG) Initiative is contributing to improved access to education and protection in conflict-affected regions of Iraq. Project activities include: (1) improving access to quality learning in a progressively strengthened education system, including humanitarian situations, for children of basic and post-basic school age, especially girls; (2) improving access to child protection, sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response, youth empowerment, and resilience for Iraqi and refugee children affected by conflict; and (3) improving opportunities for gender-sensitive communities and social cohesion for adolescent and youth boys and girls affected by conflict.