Country: Iraq

Committee: General Assembly #2

Delegate: Dahlia Suiter

The Syrian refugee crisis is arguably the largest humanitarian crisis of our time. With over 5
million registered refugees, and more uncounted for, the future seems bleak and harrowing. Iraq
knows this issue well, as our own country has been tainted with conflict throughout history,
leading to many displaced Iraqi refugees across Iraq, as well as others scattered around the
world. This crisis should be viewed on the international level and it is something that that we all
must address and promptly take action upon.

As mentioned before, Iraq especially recognizes the need for sanctuary. Iraqis have sought
refuge in Syria in the past, so now it is our turn to provide safety. Iraq has never closed its doors
for Syrian refugees and currently shelters over 230,000 Syrian refugees, as well as 3 million
internally displaced Iraqi refugees. To provide more specific statistics, of those 230,000 or so,
89,947 are in camps and 146,825 are in other parts of the country, mostly near the Syrian/Iraqi
border. The Iraqi government does not plan on denying these people from entering in the future.
However, the act of supporting a group of people of this size does have its limitations. The
destruction and loss caused by Daesh threaten our ability to give these refugees stable living
conditions. Additionally, resources are difficult to obtain in numbers this large. Syrian refugees
are people and people need shelter and human necessities. If we cannot give them this, then what
will become of them? Who will they turn to? Iraq understands that, by looking at this sheer
number, as well as the predicted influx of the future, it is to see these people as numbers. That is
why we ask the international community to value this issue and consider supporting our efforts
to keep refugees safe.

There are many organizations in Iraq helping to support those affected by the crisis, but the UN
is definitely of the biggest supporters. The UN has stepped in to help both Syrian and Iraqi
refugees, providing protection, as well as necessary materials, such as food, water, and shelter.
They have also held meetings about refugees, in which they adopted policies such as the New
York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which calls for all countries to address this issue.
These actions have paved the way for more change - positive change - for the Syrian refugee
crisis. Although this is a huge step in the right direction, the complexity of this situation calls for
so much more to happen.

After all, there are many sides to the refugee crisis, whether they be war, conflict, or terrorism.
And there are many sides to not accepting refugees, such as fear or cultural divides. This is not
an issue that we can tackle region by region, country by country, or even continent by continent -
this is something that requires international support and communication. What we need is for
everyone to recognize the intensity of the situation. Conversations such as this are necessary for
change, but only the first step.

We also need financial support. Countries do donate money to help refugees but more is needed.

Websites and Research Resources

Please include website official name, title of article, and link.
EXAMPLE: CNN. Title of Article. Date of Article. www.cnn.com/titleofinterestingarticle/

http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/iraq-emergency.html

http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/ga11820.doc.htm

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/number-syrian-refugees-passes-million-
170330132040023.html