Thousands of Iraqi refugees still waiting for resettlement, UN agency says

The United Nations refugee agency has referred more than 80,000 Iraqis to resettlement countries worldwide, with the vast majority of them designated for the United States, but so far fewer than half have left for their new homes, a spokesman said today.

“We urge States to expedite where possible the resettlement of those particularly at risk,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told a news briefing in Geneva about the resettlement programme, which began in 2007.

As of this month the agency has referred 82,500 individuals to 15 countries, with just under 62,000 headed to the US and the remainder to Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden and other nations.

Yet only 33,000 departures have taken place so far, Mr. Mahecic noted.

He said more than 500,000 refugees worldwide need resettlement, but UNHCR expects to make some 127,000 referrals this year.

Overall, there are an estimated 2 million Iraqi refugees, with the majority of them living in Syria and Jordan, according to governments in the region. Iraqi authorities estimate that an additional 2.7 million people have been internally displaced, most of them since the US-led invasion of 2003.