APPENDIX 4
Memorandum submitted by HelpAge International
HELPAGE
INTERNATIONAL'S
WORK IN
NORTHERN IRAQ
HelpAge International is a global network of
not-for-profit organisations with a mission to work with and for
disadvantaged older people worldwide to achieve a lasting improvement
in the quality of their lives. HelpAge International has been
supporting vulnerable older people and their families in northern
Iraq since June 1997, moving gradually from a relief focus to
a more developmental approach.
HelpAge International is currently working in
the Governorate of Dohuk, in the Amadiay area (the villages of
Bamarny and Inihshkhy; and the collective towns of Qadish, Deir
Alouk, Sheladezay and Serie) and in the Governorate of New Kirkuk,
in the area of Kalar (the collective towns Shorish, Rizgary and
Bardasoor). Offices were opened in Sulaimaniyah in June 1997 and
in Dohuk in April 1998. The programme currently has two international
staff, 88 local staff and 660 volunteers working in the two areas.
HelpAge International is the only organisation
in northern Iraq that works specifically with and for older people,
cooperating with both international and local non-governmental
organisations to research and consult on feasible and viable livelihood
activities for older people and their families.
THE CURRENT
SITUATION IN
AREAS WHERE
HELPAGE
INTERNATIONAL WORKS
Twelve years of UN economic sanctions against
Iraq, only partially mitigated by the UNSCR 986 "oil for
food" programme, have lead to a serious deterioration in
the conditions of life for the general population and undermined
the local economy in northern Iraq. High levels of unemployment
and a reduction in pension provision have sharply reduced the
resources available to older people.
"Oil for food" has negatively affected
agricultural activities on which many older Kurds depend. An estimated
two-thirds of the population of northern Iraq has become completely
or partially dependent on the monthly ration to survive. The majority
of HelpAge International's beneficiaries and volunteers the collective
towns in Dohuk Governorate are partially dependent on rations,
as they do not have land and there is very high unemployment.
In the Governorate of New Kirkuk staff estimate that about 20%
of beneficiaries are completely dependent on rations, and most
other beneficiaries and volunteers are partially dependent on
rations.
In the last few months, market prices for basic
commodities have risen sharply: for example, the cost of flour
has doubled. Also the general instability and uncertainty about
the future has affected the supply and therefore the cost of all
fuel, including petrol and kerosene, which is used for heating
and cooking.
For older people poverty is the main issue in
their lives. A large majority of them have been displaced and
have lost property and livelihoods at least on once in recent
years. Although care for older people within the family is the
norm in Kurdish culture, this duty is less and less observed as
a result of displacement, migration, loss of family members and
the deteriorating economic situation. It is often hard for remaining
family members to support widows and older relatives. Those who
are without support are wholly dependent on rations, charity and
even begging.
Other issues that have a negative impact on
older people include inadequate and highly centralised health
services, which restrict older peoples' ability to access health
care and medication. Social services are very limited. They are
targeted at children and sometimes include families. Whilst older
people benefit from the general humanitarian provisions of UNSCR
986, there are no government or UNSCR 986 services or benefits
specifically for older people.
SPECIFIC CONCERNS
IN CASE
OF WAR
HelpAge International hopes that war can be
avoided, given the potential for civilian casualties, population
displacement and widespread disruption of basic services. However
if war occurs we have the following specific concerns:
— Older people in humanitarian crises:
Older people face some particular risks and problems such as isolation,
and lack of mobility and physical strength which make it difficult
for them to access essential services. Older people are also vulnerable
to rapid debilitation caused by diarrhoea in the same way as children
are. In very cold conditions older people are at particular risk
of hypothermia.
HelpAge International estimates that
about 10% of the older people who are its beneficiaries are solely
responsible for other family members including children. The responsibilities
of older people who are heads of household will increase, as they
have to make decisions about the safety of the family. In the
current situation of uncertainty, this is becomes an increasing
worry and burden, for which they feel ill prepared due to lack
of resources and information.
For the poorest older people evacuation
or flight presents a number of difficulties. They may lack money
for transport, or may have mobility problems. Even if the majority
of people flee, older people (men or women) may be left behind
or choose to remain in their homes to guard their property.
— Location of vulnerable populations:
Some of HelpAge International's projects (especially in Shorish,
Bardasoor and Rizgary collective towns in New Kirkuk) are located
0-5km from the front line with Iraq and therefore their populations
are at particular risk if there is any kind of Iraqi attack. The
most vulnerable, including older people, might have to flee these
areas. In 1995-96, people from Shorish evacuated to Bazian and
Sulaimaniyah. People from Rizgary mostly went to the Iranian border.
People from this region (Garmian) remember the traumatic experience
of the Anfal operations in that region and continue to fear Iraqi
military incursions. In Dohuk, people from the programme areas
would flee towards the Turkish and Iranian borders. Already some
people are making preparations, storing fuel (petrol for cars)
and wheat. Many people from Sulaimaniyah have bought tents, causing
a sharp increase in their price.
— Food security for older people
and their families: it is considered likely that any kind
of attack would disrupt or even halt the oil for food programme
and, in particular, the distribution of food by WFP, which brings
food from Iraqi government-controlled areas. WFP has given double
rations for the last three months. If food continues to be available
people may remain in their homes but if food is not available
or runs out, they are likely to leave. Some people are storing
their extra food (and richer people are also buying extra rice,
wheat and flour to store). Others are selling the extra rations,
either because they do not have room to store it or because they
need the money.
RESPONSES TO
THE COMMITTEE'S
QUESTIONS
The detail focuses primarily on the Kurdish-controlled
region, since this is HelpAge International's area of operation
and expertise, but the general principles apply equally to all
parts of Iraq.
1. Humanitarian contingency planning
NGOs have not been privy to any humanitarian
contingency plans prepared either by the UK Government or any
other donors. Therefore both multilateral and NGO planning has
taken place in a vacuum, with a variety of war scenarios which
do not allow events to be predicted with any degree of certainty.
Since NGOs in northern Iraq are considered to be working "illegally"
by the Government of Iraq, opportunities for cooperation with
UN agencies are limited.
Planning on the basis of short to medium term
scenarios depends upon whether NGOs could expect to be operating
in territories under war conditions, without a central authority
or in an Occupied Territory where the occupying power bears overall
responsibility for the welfare of the civilian population.
Whatever the situation, HelpAge International
advocates for strong coordination between operational NGOs, with
multilateral agencies, and with the local authorities. In the
event of any civilian/military cooperation in a relief and rehabilitation
effort, a clear distinction must be drawn between the activities
of civilian and military actors in the minds of the population,
in order to ensure an impartial and neutral humanitarian response
to need.
2. Military action and refugee/IDP movements
The scale of population movement would depend
on which of several scenarios is played out:
— The north, under Kurdish control,
is not affected by the fighting but a war is fought in government
controlled areas. In this case predictions suggest that the
majority of those fleeing in the south would try to cross the
Iranian border. However, if there were any serious fighting in
the northern parts of government-held areas, especially around
Mosul and Kirkuk, people might flee across the de facto line to
the Kurdish-controlled north.
— The north is attacked or becomes
a locus of fighting. The likely result would be refugees fleeing
to the Iranian and/or Turkish borders and significant internal
displacement within the Kurdish-controlled region if the attack/fighting
was focused on one location (for example, Sulaimaniyah).
— Even if the fighting did not spread
to the Kurdish-controlled region, those living close to the
de facto line, especially in the south of Sulaimaniyah and New
Kirkuk governorates, might feel sufficiently insecure to move
to other parts of the Kurdish-controlled region.
So far there are few certainties. Turkey and
Iran are preparing to establish camps either in Iraqi territory
or in their own territory close to the border with Iraq and will
undoubtedly seek to limit access/asylum on their own territory.
If there is a major refugee crisis, with people
fleeing to the borders, HelpAge International has taken initial
steps to prepare for working with refugees in Iran, if the Iranian
government facilitates an NGO presence.
3. The likely effect of military action
on the sustainability of aid programmes/the "oil for food"
programme
Even if there is no fighting or attack on the
north, it is highly likely that the de facto line between government
and Kurdish-controlled areas would be closed. This would halt
the supply of food and medicine under the oil for food programme,
which is trucked in from WFP depots in Mosul and Kirkuk. With
an estimated 60% of the population in the north dependent for
their survival on food rations, and with few reserves, an acute
food crisis could occur within a few weeks if no alternative pipeline
for food and medical supplies was established.
The problems of food supply could escalate rapidly
if large numbers of people fled to the Kurdish-controlled region.
Such a situation could create a serious food shortage and would
be potentially catastrophic for the most vulnerable groups:
— Poor older people, young children
and female-headed households, many of whom are wholly dependent
on rations, would rapidly become seriously at risk unless an alternative
source of rations was provided.
— The existing IDP population in the
north (many of whom have fled in recent years from the Kirkuk
region).
If the north remains peaceful, HelpAge International
would continue to work with the older people and their families
involved in its projects. However, a key question will be whether
international staff will be required to leave. Local staff could
continue the programme as long as their safety was not jeopardised.
However, withdrawal of UN and NGO international staff could add
to volatility if the population is already nervous about the consequences
of conflict.
4. The risk of large scale ethnic fighting
leading to humanitarian disaster
If the war does not spread to the north, there
is still a small chance of renewed conflict between the Kurdish
parties, either if the conflict is prolonged, or after it ends.
This might interrupt some or all NGO work.
Other internal conflicts might be more likely
to develop in the aftermath of a war, if a clear and widely accepted
authority is not quickly established. Two possible triggers could
be:
— reprisals against members of the
ousted government and the Ba'ath party; and
— shortages of basic goods and resources:
for example, if the ration system broke down and was not immediately
replaced by a viable food distribution system. This could trigger
further population movements and possibly, localised conflict.
5. The risk of military action targeting
electricity and water supplies and the effect of this on provision
of water and sanitation.
If electricity and/or water systems are damaged
this would have major implications for survival, mortality and
morbidity among Iraqi civilians, especially in urban areas. The
health of the population has already been undermined by continuing
inadequacies in the water and sanitation systems, mainly since
the imposition of economic sanctions in 1990.
HelpAge International
10 February 2003
Annex
The following is a review by field staff of
the factors that might influence people in deciding to move or
remain in their homes:
Some older people and their families may go
back to the villages (not necessarily their own). In Sulaimaniyah
these are those on the plains and mountains around Sulaimaniyah
and towards the Iranian border. In Dohuk these are in the mountains
between the collective towns and the Turkish border. Many of the
villages have been destroyed so people would live in the ruins
or tents, or in caves or the open countryside. Other people may
go to stay with relative in places further from the Government
of Iraq lines or squat in schools and public buildings. They may
wait in these areas for some time to see what happens with the
intention to move closer to the borders if the situation worsens.
POSSIBLE REASONS
FOR LEAVING
— Air strikes against Iraq.
— Shelling from Government of Iraq
areas—conventional or chemical.
— Government of Iraq military intervention.
— News or rumours of a chemical attack.
— The effect of news that Kurds or
international workers in other parts of the region are leaving.
— If the Kurdish administrations are
not in a position to maintain order.
— News that Iran has opened the border—people
might go even if nothing has happened yet but are anticipating
something and want to reach shelter early.
— Shortages of food (see previous paragraphs).
IN WHAT
SITUATIONS WILL
PEOPLE STAY
IN THEIR
HOMES?
— Poverty-inability to afford transport.
— If there are no attacks on the north.
— If the INGOs and/or UN stays, people
may be reassured.
— In Sulaimaniyah, if people think
that the border areas have been mined (in 1991 many people fleeing
were killed in minefields).
— If the Kurdish administrations can
keep the area under control.
— If the weather is very cold and there
is heavy snow.
— Because many people have bad memories
of 1991 and the camps in Turkey and do not want to repeat the
experience.
— If there is food people may remain,
but if food is not available or runs out they will leave.
— Congestion on the roads. People remember
that in 1991, there was severe congestion on routes to borders
and there are more cars now.
— Older people are often left behind
even when others flee, because:
— they are left to
guard houses (male and female);
— they are too sick
to travel;
— they stay behind
to look after disabled people; or
— they believe that
military forces will not harm older people.
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