GENEVA, Switzerland, March 20 (UPI) -- The U.N. will discuss the humanitarian crisis facing millions of Iraqis forced from their homes by violence next month.
"With displacement continuing at an estimated rate of up to 50,000 a month, the humanitarian needs are growing by the day and we need to do everything we can to try to get help to desperate people," said Ron Redmond, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesperson.
The U.N. refugee agency has invited 192 governments, 65 international organizations and 60 non-governmental organizations to the two-day event in Geneva from April 17 to 18. The meeting will identify the needs of the crisis and will seek to find a international solution to address those needs.
Approximately 2 million Iraqis live in nearby countries including Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. Meanwhile 1.9 million are displaced within Iraq. It has become more difficult for refugees to find safe havens outside their homeland., according to UNHCR.
The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq estimated more than 15 million Iraqis including refugees, internally displaced people, those facing food insecurity, widows and the disabled, are considered extremely vulnerable
In January, UNHCR launched a $60 million appeal to allow the agency to continue providing humanitarian assistance in the region. Of this support, a third is targeted at helping tens of thousands of the most vulnerable among the IDPs. However, compared to Iraq's overall needs these funds are "a drop in the ocean," said Redmond.
