After the launch in Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq JIPS is happy to present the findings of the profiling report “Displacement as Challenge and Opportunity: Urban profile of Refugees, IDPs and Host Community, Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq” to the international community in Geneva. Jointly produced by regional authorities, statistics offices and the international humanitarian and development communities, JIPS provided comprehensive support through the process.
With large waves of displacement since 2011, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) hosts over one million displaced persons, putting pressure on the region’s limited resources. The Duhok Governorate accounts for the largest number of camps for displaced persons in the region. However 64% of IDPs and refugees live in out-of-camp settings. With a host community of around 1.47 million people, this implies that the total urban population has increased by about 31% in the last 4 years.
Centred on a comparative and area-based approach the profiling results help to better understand the specific needs as well as similarities and diversities between the different groups (IDPs, refugees and host communities) in urban areas of the Duhok Governorate. The collected data indicates that housing is a key challenge. It furthermore shows that returning in the immediate future is unfeasible, due to reconstruction needs, high financial costs and legal land and property disputes in particular. Special focus was also given to a household vulnerability analysis in order to inform cash distribution programs in particular.
The collaborative profiling study in Duhok is the second in a row of three exercises conducted in the Governorates of Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, between 2015 and 2016. The exercises were conducted through a collaboration between the different regional government authorities and statistics offices as well as humanitarian and development partners, including UNHCR, UNOCHA, IOM, UNFPA, and UN-Habitat. JIPS provided technical support to partners throughout the process.
Read more on the JIPS country page on Iraq.
