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“It’s a miracle to be here." As temperatures soar in Iraq, families fleeing West Mosul arrive safely at Hasansham U2 displacement camp and collect water supplies. ; UNHCR opened a new camp, Hasansham U2, in northern Iraq in early-May 2017 to shelter families fleeing the fighting in western Mosul. The camp is located around 60 kilometres west of Iraq’s second city and is the 12th camp to be built in response to the ongoing emergency. The camp has capacity to accommodate more than 9,000 people when fully occupied. Each displaced family arriving here receives a tent, blankets, mats, a cooker, jerry cans, plastic sheeting and a kitchen set. They are fleeing heavy bombing and many have been living on one meal of flour, water and tomato paste per day. More than 630,000 people have been displaced from Mosul since the military operation began in October 2016. Funding to support them stands at just $105m of the $578m. This shortfall threatens our ability to respond to the humanitarian needs.

Dubai: Over 1,200 members of returnee Iraqi families in Mosul will receive cash assistance after an agreement was signed between the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRHCE) on Wednesday.

The MBRHCE is dedicating Dh367,851 ($100,105) of funding to provide life-saving cash assistance to 207 families returning to Mosul.

Cash assistance is a very effective way of ensuring that the most of urgent humanitarian needs are met in a timely manner. It gives beneficiaries the dignity of choice in purchasing items that are most needed. It also supports the local economy and encourage participation in local market mechanisms.

Recognising the importance of securing cash assistance, Khalid Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to the GCC, said the “generous donation will provide protection and will maintain dignity to those families”.

More than 211,500 individuals are currently displaced as a result of the ongoing Mosul operations which began on October 17, 2016. On February 19, Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the western part of Mosul, after successfully gaining control over the entire eastern part of the city.

As areas in Mosul are retaken by Iraqi forces, displaced Iraqis have been leaving camps and host communities to return to their areas of origin. So far, according to the International Organisation for Migration, more than 10,600 families (63,800 individuals) have returned to areas of origin in Mosul.

Toby Harward, UNHCR Head of Office in the UAE, also emphasised the importance of cash assistance in providing the returnees with the flexibility on how best to use that for their recovery. “Having a well-esteemed entity from the UAE supporting our work in Mosul is of vital importance in our goal to build partnerships in the region,” he said.

Saleh Zaher Al Mazroui, general manager of MBRHCE, said the UAE is known for its remarkable humanitarian efforts.

“It’s our duty to extend our support to reach out to the most vulnerable communities in conflict and non-conflict areas,” he said. “At MBRHCE, (we) believe in the importance of maintaining the dignity of vulnerable people by responding to their most pressing humanitarian needs, which is why supporting initiatives such as UNHCR’s cash assistance to meet basic needs is most essential.”