Erbil Governor: The conditions are not suitable for the return of refugees, and we do not support forced repatriation

On Thursday, July 4, 2024, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw chaired a coordination meeting with various organizations and agencies.

During the meeting, which was attended by Naz Jalal, Director of Immigration and Crisis Response in Erbil Governorate; Stav Aso, Head of the Erbil Office of the Barzani Charity Foundation; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; the International Organization for Migration; UNICEF; IR; TDH; Mercy Corps; World Vision; Heevie; Intersos; Advent Relief; HISCF; OCHA; and many other organizations. 

They discussed the situation of the refugee camps in Erbil governorate and the services that should be provided to the refugees. 

The governor of Erbil has emphasized that there are ongoing efforts to facilitate the return of refugees who came to the Kurdistan Region, especially to Erbil, from other Iraqi provinces due to the war against ISIS. However, the current conditions and requirements for their return are not favorable. The policy of the Kurdistan Regional Government is not supportive of forced repatriation of refugees, as it views this as a humanitarian matter. Instead, the regional government fully backs the voluntary return of refugees to their places of origin.