United Nations Radio

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is again calling for help for Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons.

Iraqi refugees

The refugee agency says more than 50% of its nearly 300-million-dollar appeal for Iraq remains unfunded.

UNHCR is concerned that it might not be able to cope with the demands on the ground if new money is not received soon.

According to UNHCR, there are still well over one and a half million Iraqis outside Iraq while another 2 million are displaced within the country.

The agency says overall security conditions have not improved and are not sustainable enough to encourage massive returns of Iraqis.

It warns that forcing uprooted Iraqis to return to their homes could negatively affect the country's already fragile ability to take them back in.

At the same time, UNHCR calls on the Iraqi government to make further progress in its policy on displacement and return, and is urging Iraqi authorities to move decisively on land allocation, property restitution and compensation.

It also urges the government to set up a major housing and rehabilitation programme fit enough to deal with the country's considerable housing problem.

Diane Bailey, United Nations.

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