Iraq

Young Iraqis in Syria

Bring on the clowns: UN agency finds new ally in helping Iraqi refugee children

28 December 2007
The United Nations refugee agency has enlisted a new ally – red-nosed clowns – to help put Iraqi children traumatized by the violence of their homeland at ease while they register for school in neighbouring Syria.

Iraq’s violence takes heavy toll on its children, reports UNICEF

21 December 2007
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today painted a bleak picture of the situation of children in Iraq, where an estimated 2 million boys and girls continue suffer from poor nutrition, disease and interrupted education.

UN refugee agency sends urgent supplies to Iraqis displaced by Turkish shelling

18 December 2007
Voicing deep concern at the displacement in northern Iraq caused by ongoing shelling by Turkey, the United Nations refugee agency has dispatched urgent supplies, including blankets and stoves, for distribution today to more than 1,800 people who fled their homes over the weekend in two districts up to 100 kilometres inside the country.

Security Council renews mandate of multinational force in Iraq for another year

18 December 2007
The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United States-led multinational force (MNF) in Iraq by another year, until the end of 2008, after a formal request from the Government of the Middle East country.

Ban Ki-moon voices concern over Turkish air attacks against Iraq

17 December 2007
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over yesterday’s Turkish air strikes into northern Iraq and reports of possible civilian casualties, as well as continued attacks by the armed group PKK.

UN agency issues ATM cards to assist cash-strapped Iraqi refugees

14 December 2007
In response to recent studies showing that Iraqi refugees living in neighbouring countries are running out of money, the UN refugee agency is set to issue ATM cards to 7,000 of the most needy and vulnerable families living in Syria.

Top UN envoy deplores triple bombings in southern Iraq

13 December 2007
The top United Nations official in Iraq has condemned the three bombings which struck a southern provincial capital yesterday, leaving dozens of innocent civilians dead and more than 100 others wounded.
Yuli Vorontsov

Secretary-General mourns death of Russian diplomat

13 December 2007
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his profound sadness at learning of the death of Yuli Vorontsov, the Russian diplomat who coordinated international efforts aimed at recovering the remains of Kuwaitis and other nationals missing since Iraq’s 1990 invasion.
Two resettled Iraqi refugees in New Zealand

UN refugee agency exceeds 20,000 resettlement target for Iraqi refugees

12 December 2007
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today that it had topped its target of 20,000 Iraqi resettlement referrals for 2007.

Security Council reiterates concerns over fate of Kuwaitis missing since 1990

11 December 2007
Voicing regret that there has been little recent progress on recovering and identifying the remains of Kuwaitis and other nationals missing since Iraq’s 1990 invasion, Security Council members today called for renewed efforts to determine their fate and that of the missing Kuwaiti national archive.