UNHCR’s Guterres calls for more support to Iraqi refugees

from UNHCR

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on Thursday appealed to the international community for more support to Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan, for more resettlement places in third countries and for the government of Iraq to be more active in supporting its uprooted people.

Guterres, on the third day of a weeklong mission to the region, said his overall objective is to ensure that millions of Iraqis displaced by conflict receive as much protection and assistance as possible.

He said the international response remains disproportionate to the scope of the problem. "The international community needs to provide more support to Iraqis themselves through the programmes that assist Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan and other host countries," he said. "Up until now the international assistance has been out of proportion to the challenges that these countries face."

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