Catholic sisters says U.S. must respond to Iraq refugee crisis

In session
February 8, 2008

Catholic sisters says U.S. must respond to Iraq refugee crisis
Just returned from a fact-finding mission to the Middle East, Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, NETWORK Executive Director, and Sister Anne Curtis, a member of the Leadership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, today called for resolution of the current Iraqi refugee crisis. Campbell and Curtis were part of a delegation of Catholic sisters sponsored by Catholic Relief Services who traveled to Lebanon and Syria to meet with Iraqi refugees, Christian and Islamic leaders, representatives of religious and civil NGOs, U.S. diplomatic personnel, a Syrian Parliament Member, and UNHCR regional representatives.

Speaking at a congressional briefing in the U.S. Capitol, they offered firsthand accounts of Iraqi refugees’ current living conditions, and Sister Simone Campbell presented NETWORK’s recommendations for how the U.S. government can address their suffering.

Recommendations include:

• REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES: Encourage the U.S. State Department to meet at least its target goal of resettling 12,000 refugees this year and consider the possibility of allocating more resources and personnel to expedite the processing of refugees especially in Department of Homeland Security that does the security interviews with Iraqi refugees.

• MIGRATION AND REFUGEE ACCOUNT (MRA): Support increased funding for the Migration Refugee Assistance (MRA) Account through FY09 appropriations and supplemental bills.

• UNHCR FUNDING: Encourage the U.S. government to generously fund the UNHCR appeal of $261 million for FY08 operations relating to Iraqi refugees in the region. The U.S. has quickly offered to provide one-third of the requested UNHCR funding whenever there has been a request. However, the overall funding at times has gone unmet. The U.S. should increase its contribution to this needed fund.

• BILATERAL FUNDING FOR HOST COUNTRIES: Support bilateral funding to the governments of Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt to ease the burden placed on host governments with large refugee populations. Seek mechanisms for and support to the refugees, NGOs and the UNHCR operating within Syria.

COMPLEX ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED:

NARROW THE APPLICATION OF SYRIAN SANCTIONS TO EXEMPT HUMANITARIAN NGOs FUNDED BY THE US: International NGOs funded with State Department money to work with Iraqi refugees in Syria are limited by all of the Syrian sanctions. This is hampering their work and making it more costly for them to get the needed infrastructure. There needs to be a way to mitigate this reality.
IRAQI-PALESTINIAN REFUGEES: Because of the long history of Palestinian refugees in the region, those fleeing Iraq are caught in a no-person’s land, not being welcomed in any country in the region. This needs to be addressed in some way that protects this vulnerable population.

NETWORK—a Catholic leader in the global movement for justice and peace—educates, organizes and lobbies for economic and social transformation. Founded in 1971 by 47 Catholic sisters, NETWORK is supported by thousands of groups and individuals committed to working for social and economic justice. For more information, see www.networklobby.org.

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