MESOP IRAQ IN DEPTH : 36 NGO’s SEND LETTER TO JOHN KERRY

MESOP 4-8-2014 – Thirty-Six NGOs Send Letter to Kerry on Iraq Crisis: Thirty-six NGOs sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing “grave concerns about the deepening human rights and humanitarian crisis in Iraq,” and calling “for a stronger response from the United States, including a clear, long-term strategy for addressing what could become a protracted situation.”

The letter notes that according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, “1.2 million people have been displaced by fighting in western and northern Iraq this year.” Contributing to the instability are “abuses by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other armed groups.” The letter then offers a series of recommendations including a “scale-up of immediate, direct humanitarian engagement in Iraq,” as well as a “comprehensive approach to assist Iraqis displaced during different waves of violence,” and finally a “more robust, longer-term engagement in Iraq’s peace and development.”