1. The government of the Republic of Korea decided to provide humanitarian assistance worth 7 million US dollars to Iraq, whose humanitarian crisis is rapidly worsening after clashes between ISIL and Iraqi government forces broke out in June 2014.

2. Iraq is one of the countries where the United Nations has declared its highest-level humanitarian emergency, “Level-3 emergency.” This year, the UN launched an appeal for 860 million US dollars in aid to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

3. The ROK government decided to provide the aforementioned assistance, taking into account various factors, including the humanitarian situation in Iraq, the international request for support, and aid provided by other countries.

o Of the 7 million US dollars, 3 million dollars will be donated through the Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization (FFIS), which was established to support Iraqi people’s resettlement. The remaining 4 million dollars will be provided through international organizations carrying out humanitarian activities in Iraq, including the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the UN Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

4. The ROK government is actively pursuing “humanitarian diplomacy” as one of its major foreign policies, and as part of such diplomacy, the government is expanding its humanitarian aid. The government is especially increasing humanitarian assistance to refugees, considering that the large-scale humanitarian crisis is worsening due to protracted conflicts in Africa and the Middle East.


* unofficial translation