UN agency launches 2.2 bln USD appeal for humanitarian need in Iraq

A UN agency launched a 2.2 billion-U.S. dollar appeal for the protection and humanitarian needs of displaced and affected Iraqis Thursday, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said here.

The appeal was made in Baghdad by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for 5.2 million people in Iraq, said Haq, quoting acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Neill Wright as saying "the needs of the Iraqi people are immense."

The appeal was made for 1.8 million Iraqis who have been displaced since January 2014, 1.5 million people within communities hosting many of the displaced, and 1.7 million others living in conflict areas outside Iraqi government control and others.

According to the OCHA, around 2.8 million people in Iraq are in need of food assistance and about 800,000 people are in urgent need of emergency shelter assistance. As winter approaches, some 1. 26 million people around the country need assistance for the cold season.

Iraq has been torn by conflict, terrorist activities and an increasing refugee crisis in recent months, leading to a deteriorating humanitarian situation.