Lobby the UK government to support Iraqi refugees  and their host countries.

Since the illegal invasion of Iraq in March 2003, more than 2 million Iraqis have fled their country. (It is estimated that there are almost the same number of displaced persons within Iraq). At a refugee conference held in Damascus in July of this year, the WHO stated that 1.5 million people who have fled Iraq, are now residing in Syria. (80% of these in Damascus). The UNHCR estimates that a further 2000 are arriving in Syria every day. Syria has absorbed the bulk of the refugees fleeing Iraq, despite having a population of only 18 million and an economy that isn't strong.

According to a joint report published last month by the UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, in addition to the 1.5 million Iraqis are now living in Syria, there are now a further 750,000 Iraqi refugees residing in Jordan and nearly 70000 more in Egypt.

According to UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres, this exodus of Iraqi refugees is "the biggest displacement since the 1948 Palestine crisis.''

Although Syria is considered to be a developing country, not without its own share of domestic problems, it has been providing free access to schools and health care for all the refugees it has taken in. However, the arrival of one and a half million Iraqi refugees in Syria, many of whom have come with nothing, has placed a great strain on the country's infrastructure.

The costs of basic amenities such as paraffin fuel, water and electricity have risen by 17%, 20% and 27% respectively. The Syrian government has been providing free healthcare and schooling to all the Iraqi refugees. It has also spent £17 million on subsidised bread.

It appears that destabilisation of Syria's economy may be the price the country has to pay for showing charity towards its neighbours.

A more dire consequence of the mass exodus of refugees from Iraq was illustrated by a report released by the UNHCR and UNICEF in May 2007 showing that increasing numbers of Iraqi citizens, among them children, are being trafficked into the sex trade. The report mentioned "organised networks dealing with the sex trade" in Syria and it made an association between the 'deteriorating conditions of Iraqi citizens and an increase in the trafficking and prostitution of Iraqi sex workers'.

Although the UK government has thus far pledged around $13,108,629 (USD) towards supporting refugees displaced by the conflict in Iraq, as of 21st October, it had only paid out $2,966,641 (USD)

(This £2.9 million was destined for the internally displaced, those 2,000,000 refugees in Iraq, not for those Iraqis displaced in neighbouring countries).

In January of this year, DFID (Department for International Development) pledged £4 million to the Red Cross to help the internally displaced in Iraq. According to the Humanitarian Financial Tracking Service on the internet, this pledge of £4 million is yet to be paid.

Very little has been done, by the British government, in the way of supporting the 2,000,000 Iraqis displaced in Syria, Jordan and other neighbouring countries. Neither the British government nor DFID have provided assistance for Iraqi refugees through bilateral support to Syria or other regional governments.

The question could be asked whether the decision not to provide money to the Syrian government is not in some way politically motivated. This view has been echoed in certain circles.

The situation affecting Iraqi refugees, both in Iraq and in neighbouring countries, is likely to become even worse as the influx increases and conditions deteriorate. This will be further exacerbated given the impending winter. Also, if Turkish incursions into Northern Iraq do go ahead, it is likely that the exodus of refugees fleeing Iraq will increase yet further.

In order to avert a deepening humanitarian crisis, it is imperative that we we lobby both our government and DFID to provide direct support to the Syrian government and to the other regional governments trying to cope with the massive influx of Iraqi refugees. Furthermore, we need to ask the government to drastically increase the amount of money that it has pledged towards helping the internally displaced in Iraq and to fulfil such pledges as soon as possible. As the current pledges made by our government only amount to a few pounds per refugee, this does look to be a case of too little too late.