Issue 65

The crisis in Iraq

October 29, 2015
Humanitarian Practice Network and Eva Svoboda
112 min read

This issue of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) Research Fellow Eva Svoboda, focuses on the crisis in Iraq. Since the seizure of Iraqi territory by Islamic State in January 2014, over 3.2 million people have been displaced. More than 8m people are in need of humanitarian assistance, but a lack of funding and insecurity mean that few international humanitarian organisations are working outside of Kurdistan.

  • In her lead article, Louise Redvers provides an insightful overview of the humanitarian crisis and political context in Iraq.
  • Laura Lungarotti, Sarah Craggs and Agnes Tillinac highlight human trafficking as a neglected protection concern and urge humanitarian and protection practitioners to better identify trafficking and respond to it.
  • Julia St. Thomas King and Dennis Ardis explore the use of mobile approaches to monitor and identify protection needs and ensure that displaced Iraqis have the documentation they need to access humanitarian assistance.
  • Barah Mikail, Lisa Reilly and Raquel Vazquez Llorente critically discuss acceptance as a security strategy in Iraq.
  • Rachel Sider shares learning from using CLARA – Cohort Livelihoods and Risk Analysis – to design safer livelihoods programmes.
  • Keith Chibafa looks at the collaborative use of Last Mile Mobile Solution (LMMS) technology for beneficiary data and tracking.
  • Gemma Woods and Sarah Mace report on efforts to encourage beneficiary feedback on the response via a call centre in Erbil and Su’ad Jarbawi makes the case for scaling up cash assistance.

Articles in the Practice and Policy Notes section reflect on:

  • The impact of technology and e-money in Nepal after the recent earthquake.
  • Research in Samoa on the use of participatory tools to assess remittances in disaster.
  • The current crisis in South Sudan and the growing role of robust multilateral military interventions in African peacekeeping.

Issue 65 articles

1. The crisis in Iraq: an overview

The eruption of armed conflict in Iraq in January 2014, and subsequent large-scale territorial seizures by the Islamist militant group…
October 29, 2015
PKK & PUK Peshmerga on the way to the frontline in Kirkuk

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