Iraq’s spending budget in 2023 is $153 billion. August 3, 2023 marks nine years since the Yezidi Genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Yezidis remain homeless and impoverished in a middle income country with vast natural resources and wealth.
We call on Federal Iraq to invest $1.5 billion in Sinjar by the 10th anniversary of the genocide. Less than 1% of Iraq’s spending budget can facilitate the recovery of the Yezidi community.
It’s time to end the genocide against the Yezidis and invest in their sustainable recovery.
JOINT STATEMENT BY YEZIDI LED NGOS
FYF led a group of Yezidi civil society organizations, community leaders, and intellectuals to draft a joint statement calling for the special allocation of a $1.5 billion dedicated fund, directly administered by the office of the Prime Minister of Iraq, for the reconstruction of public infrastructure and private housing and property in the District of Sinjar.
Iraq’s Parliament recently approved a three-year working budget of $459 billion, with an annual budget of $153 billion, the highest ever passed in the country’s history. The Parliament only allocated $38 million for Sinjar and Nineveh Plain reconstruction in this budget. A realistic fund to reconstruct Sinjar has been proposed by national and international actors to revitalize the region, bring economic development, and help tens of thousands of Yezidis rebuild their properties. A motion was accepted by the Prime Minister’s Office in the past, with a budget of nearly 500 billion Iraqi Dinars allocated in principle. But the budget was filibustered by some political parties and cut down to 10% of its original allocation. The budget was then allocated not only for Sinjar but also for Zummar and Nineveh plains. Sinjar and other areas inhabited mostly by minorities have received disproportionately low funding over the past nine years, and Yezidi communities are outraged by the inequality of this budget allocation, considering the severe level of destruction in Sinjar and other areas.
Iraq’s annual working budget of more than $153 billion is large enough to allocate 1% of one year’s budget to the actual reconstruction of Sinjar, rather than symbolic projects that will never be effective in rebuilding the district, its infrastructure, housing, and private property, and ultimately will never be sufficient to help IDPs return home. Failure to rebuild Sinjar will likely result in increased security concerns and could force more Yezidis to migrate or face secondary displacement. FYF therefore calls upon the Parliament to allocate 1% of the 2023 budget – $1.5 billion – to a specialized fund for the reconstruction of Sinjar.
COMMEMORATION EVENTS FOR 9TH ANNIVERSARY OF YEZIDI GENOCIDE
FYF and 26 leading Yezidi civil society organizations are cohosting a conference to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the Yezidi Genocide on August 1st at 11:00 am at Gilgamesh Hall, Babylon Hotel, Baghdad, Iraq.
The conference will include the participation of Iraqi officials, UNAMI, UNITAD, and other United Nations agency representatives, foreign diplomats, Yezidi survivors, religious and community leaders, representatives of international and Iraqi civil society, and leaders from across the political spectrum. Together, participants will remember the victims, discuss the impact, and advocate for justice, solidarity, and rebuilding of the Yezidi homeland. Watch the livestream of the event:
On August 3rd, FYF will host a private event at its Enterprise and Training Center in Khanke, Duhok, Iraq with staff, survivors, and government officials. The event will focus on amplifying the voices of Yezidi survivors and activists in safe, recording free space.
HONORING VICTIMS BY AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF SURVIVORS
“153 billion and my village is still destroyed.”
“153 billion and I still live in a tent.”
“153 billion and I cannot go home.”
To commemorate this year’s 9th anniversary, FYF is turning the spotlight on Yezidis, amplifying their voices as they reflect on their lives 9 years after the Yezidi Genocide, highlighting the stark contrast between Federal Iraq’s annual budget and the ongoing precarious living conditions of displaced and returnee Yezidis.
No more words without action – we call on the Iraqi government to allocate 1% of its annual budget to reconstruct Sinjar.
