EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to Iraq and new funding

The latest in a series of EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights with over 40 tons of medical and emergency supplies to reinforce the humanitarian response has arrived in Iraq.

The flight is part of the ongoing Team Europe support to deliver assistance to the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world, which are impacted by transport restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The EU is also providing a new humanitarian aid package of €35 million to help victims of conflict and forced displacement in Iraq and boost the coronavirus response.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “The EU continues to stand by those most in need in Iraq. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, humanitarian organisations are facing very difficult access conditions, while the needs in Iraq are increasing. This humanitarian air bridge is a tangible expression of EU solidarity with the most vulnerable.”

EU humanitarian assistance in Iraq focuses on delivering lifesaving assistance such as emergency healthcare, shelter, access to safe water and sanitation, education, and protection. EU humanitarian aid is channelled to some 400,000 people, many of them women and children.

Since 2015, the EU has provided over €490 million in humanitarian support in the country.

Original source: European Union
Published on 27 July 2020