Charities Urge President to Coordinate Humanitarian Efforts in Iraq

More than 40 charities have called on President Obama to develop a plan for alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and helping Iraqis who have fled their country because of violence.

The charities said, in a letter this week, that efforts by nonprofit groups to improve conditions in local Iraqi communities, supported largely by the U.S. Agency for International Development, are “among the few U.S.-sponsored development programs in Iraq that have largely accomplished their goal.”

But they said charities’ efforts in Iraq have been overshadowed by projects undertaken by the military and by for-profit companies. In order for charities to better assist Iraqis in improving their lives, the organizations suggested that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ought to lead an effort that would involve nonprofit groups, the United Nations, the Iraqi government, and its neighboring countries, in developing a comprehensive strategy to improve the conditions in which Iraqis live.

The charities, which include Refugees International, International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps, and many others, suggested the strategy ought to include: goals for measuring progress; more support to vulnerable people living in Iraq; aid to Iraqi refugees; and a commitment to resettle more Iraqis in the United States.

— Caroline Preston