UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...

structures in the country are not adequate to ensure or enforce implementation of human
rights standards.
The dismantling of the former Iraqi army and security forces, the slow training of Iraq’s
new security forces and the high level of corruption and lack of equipment, resulted in
a security “gap” that the current authorities have been unable to fill. Members of the ISF
are themselves the target of insurgency attacks. The Ministry of Interior forces are reported
to have been infiltrated by members of various armed groups, and their loyalty to the
central Government has been questionable. In addition, the country suffers from high
unemployment 16 and corruption, 17 chronic fuel, electricity and water shortages, 18 and
serious shortcomings in health 19 and educational services, 20 creating the potential for major
social unrest.
The situation in Iraq has led to massive displacement of Iraqis inside and outside the
country. By May 2007, estimates by the UN’s Cluster F 21 suggested that over two million
persons 22 had been displaced inside Iraq, and up to two million others fled to nearby
16
The Brookings Institution estimates that unemployment ranges between 25 and 40 percent, but
underemployment may be a much more significant factor; see: The Brookings Institution, Iraq Index.
Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Post-Saddam Iraq, 26 February 2007,
http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index20070226.pdf. UNAMI HRO has put the unemployment rate
at 50 percent with up to 70 percent in Al-Anbar Governorate.
17
Transparency International (TI) said, in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index 2006 covering 163
countries, that Iraq is among the world’s most corrupt countries; see TI, Corruption Perceptions Index 2006,
6 November 2006, http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2006.
18
Fuel and electricity supplies continue to be below pre-2003 levels; see: The Brookings Institution, Iraq
Index, see above footnote 16.
19
According to the Iraqi Medical Association (IMA), Iraq’s healthcare system is continuing to deteriorate
as not enough qualified staff or equipment is available. IMA says 90 percent of the nearly 180 hospitals
countrywide are lacking resources; see: Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Iraq: Country’s
healthcare system rapidly deteriorating, 7 November 2006, http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?
reportid=61923.
20
Statistics from the Ministry of Education indicate that only 30 percent of Iraq’s 3.5 million students are
attending classes. This compares to approximately 75 percent of students attending classes in 2005, according
to UK-based NGO Save the Children. See: IRIN, Iraq: School attendance rates drop drastically, 18 October
2006, http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=61896.
21
Within the framework of the UN’s coordinated support, and pursuant to its mandate of direct protection
and assistance, Cluster F will support “the Iraqi authorities in providing adequate assistance and effective
protection to uprooted populations in Iraq, preventing new displacement, and creating conditions conducive
to achieving durable solutions.” The Cluster partners are UNHCR (Coordinator), IOM (Deputy Coordinator),
UNAMI, UNOPS, UN-Habitat, WHO, UNICEF, WFP, ILO, UNIDO, UNEP, UNDP, OHCHR and FAO, all
with wide-ranging experience in providing assistance, protection and durable solutions in conflict and
transition situations. Since 2003, Cluster F has coordinated closely on protection and capacity building
initiatives with national counterparts, including Iraq’s Ministries of Displacement and Migration, Interior,
Labour and Social Affairs, Justice, Human Rights, Health, Housing and Municipality along with other
relevant line ministries, the Permanent Committee on Refugee Affairs, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on
Displacement and Migration, the Commission for the Resolution of Real Property Disputes (CRRPD) and
regional and local authorities. In addition, Cluster F advocates before other Clusters and the World Bank, and
collaborates with humanitarian actors including both local and international NGOs.
22
Cluster F, Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq, Update 23 May 2007, http://www.unhcr.org.iq/
clusterFreports/Cluster F Update on IDPs May 23.pdf. Cluster F continues to issue regular updates on the
situation of IDPs in Iraq, including on issues such as restriction of admission and access to basic services,
which are made available at http://www.unhcr.org.iq/.
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