Recommendations for Iraqi Refugee Crisis

Elizabeth Ferris from the Brookings Institute makes some recommendations for the Iraqi refugee crisis:

• The US government should put humanitarian issues high on the U.S. agenda for Iraq and should include humanitarian perspectives in its long term planning
• The U.S government should play a leadership role in mobilizing more humanitarian assistance for Iraq's war affected civilian population, internally displaced persons and Iraqi refugee living in neighboring countries.
  
• To signal the importance the U.S. places on humanitarian situations in Iraq, the president should name a senior humanitarian coordinator for Iraq who is mandated to work with the government agencies to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided, that policies are coherent, and consistent, that the movement of Iraq refugees isnt stonewalled by bureaucratic impediments.
  
• The U.S government should press the government of Iraq to assume its responsibilities to protect and assist those displaced within its borders and to explore ways of supporting its citizens in exile.
  
• The. U.S government should work in close collaboration with the United Nations and support its humanitarian space
• The U.S should work with the UN, the Government of Iraq and other actors to plan for durable solutions for the displaced, with particular focus on planning for returns and for property restitution or compensation