NCCI’s Advocacy Working Group compiled a joint NGO briefing statement for an Iraq Pledging Conference that will take place on July 20th in Washington DC. The meeting will be attended by foreign and defense ministers of several of the major Coalition actors involved in the fight against ISIS, and those supporting the humanitarian response in Iraq. This donor pledging conference in support of Iraq comes as the country faces some of the most profound challenges it has experienced in the last decade. Over 3.3 million Iraqis – half of whom are children - have fled violence since January 2014 and an additional quarter of a million refugees have arrived from neighbouring Syria fleeing their own country’s brutal conflict. By the end of the year, thousands more will require life-saving assistance.

As a consortium of over 101 national and international NGOs currently working in Iraq, this joint NGO statement identifies key issues facing the country and urges Coalition governments to mobilise an urgent response to the current crisis and to address the underlying drivers of conflict in Iraq. For this conference to be a success, three key areas must be acted upon quickly: committing resources to support emergency preparedness activities in advance of future shocks, strengthening civil-military coordination to enable first-line responses, and ensuring access to safety for newly displaced families.