The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is establishing a new field office in Kerbala. The office will cover DRC’s expanded operations in the Southern governorates of Iraq. A two-day programme and operational assessment mission to Kerbala was carried out on September 23-24, 2014. The assessment was headed by DRC’s Head of Programme for South and Central Iraq.

During the assessment mission the DRC team met with the Mr. Ali H. Al-Mialy (Deputy Governor of Kerbala) Mr. Al-Mialy is the local government focal point for IDPs in the governorate. He briefed the DRC team on the current IDP humanitarian situation as well as the plans of the government to support the IDP population. The meeting with the Deputy Governor was useful; it provided the assessment team the opportunity to get a quick glance of the prevailing situation as it relates to displacement issues. Following the meeting with the Deputy Governor, three IDP settlements on 80 kilometer road, linking Kerbala to Najaf, was visited. During the visits, the DRC team had informal interviews with IDPs. The interviews focused on needs, concerns and intentions of IDPs. The assessment team also visited the government’s site that has been identified to relocate IDPs as well as an IDP school that is under construction. A meeting was held with two local NGOs (Human for Human and TAJDID Iraq). Finally, the team visited warehousing facilities in Kerbala in preparation of DRC’s plan to preposition core relief supplies.

The assessment report highlights the ongoing humanitarian developments, the government’s response to date, protection concerns expressed by IDPs and local civil society organizations as well as humanitarian coordination issues.


Please find full report attached below: