International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Appeals via the Canadian Red Cross Society (CRCS)

Published purpose

While armed conflict between the Government of Iraq, international troops and armed groups continued throughout 2008, early 2009 shows signs of a decrease in new population displacements, improved access to humanitarian assistance, and the return of small numbers of internally displaced persons and refugees. However, water, sanitation and electrical infrastructure remain inadequate to support the local population, and levels of poverty, unemployment and dependency on government food rations are on the rise. CIDA's contribution is supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help meet the protection and emergency humanitarian needs of conflict-affected individuals in Iraq. In particular, protection activities focus on meeting the humanitarian needs of persons detained by multinational forces and the Iraqi authorities. Activities targeted to the civilian population include: emergency relief; support to hospitals; emergency repair work on health, water and sanitation infrastructure; and restoring family links for those displaced by the conflict.