U.S. Assistance to Iraq
Office of Refugee & IDP Affairs
Appointment of Two Senior Officials Responsible for Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
August 14, 2009
Statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:
President Obama has long made clear that the United States is committed to working closely with the Iraqi government to aid Iraqis who have been displaced or are otherwise vulnerable as a result of the violence in Iraq. Since April, the United States has made available approximately $196 million in additional support for these populations for a total of $346 million to date in FY 2009.
Further to discussions that took place during Prime Minister Maliki’s recent meetings in Washington, President Obama is pleased to announce that Samantha Power, Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council in the White House, will coordinate the efforts of the many parts of the U.S. government on Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense.
We are also pleased to announce that Mark Storella, a Senior Foreign Service officer who recently served as Deputy Chief of Mission in
Geneva, has arrived in Baghdad to take up the post of Senior
Coordinator for Iraqi Refugees and Displaced Persons. Storella will
coordinate our government’s work in Iraq on refugees and IDPs, and will
represent the United States in its dealings with the Iraqi Government,
the international community, and non-governmental organizations on
these issues.
See also:
- Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- U.S. Contributes More Than $150 Million to Help Displaced Iraqis
- U.S. Dept. of State Population Refugees and Migration
- UNHCR Iraq
- International Organization for Migration
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- World Refugee Day 2009
- Proposed Refugee Admissions For Fiscal Year 201-pdf
Transcripts:
- Statement on World Refugee Day 2009
- U.S. Official Briefs on World Humanitarian Day and Refugee Issues
- Palestinians from Iraq Being Resettled in the United States
- Clinton's Message on Gender-Based Violence Resonates Worldwide
- Angelina Jolie at the Hague
- Jolie in Iraq: 2M refugees need help
A Strategic Interest
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Diplomacy and assistance is also required to help the millions of
displaced Iraqis... America has a strategic interest - and a moral
responsibility - to act.
- President Barak Obama, Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina, February 27, 2009.