According to  UNHCR, three solutions are available:  First, voluntary repatriation is the preferred solution for the majority of  refugees. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). State Department and UN Fund Assistance to Support Iraqi Refugees

To implement its goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees, State primarily  funds and monitors the activities of its implementing partners, which  include international organizations and NGOs. However, State did not aggregate individual project or program  performance so that it could measure progress toward its overall goal and  objectives. Lack of Reliable Needs Estimates and Funding Data Affects U.S. and UNHCR Efforts to Assist Iraqi Refugees

U.S. and UNHCR efforts to provide sufficient humanitarian assistance to  Iraqi refugees are challenged by the lack of reliable needs estimates and  data on funding targeted at Iraqi refugee programs. Iraqi refugees  primarily live interspersed among the local urban populations, rather than  concentrated in camps, and are not easily identified. According to the UN,  statistics on the number of Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries vary  and are difficult to verify. The U.S. government and UNHCR, reportedly the  largest bilateral and multilateral funding sources, do not always designate  and report funding solely for Iraqi refugee programs, which target refugees  and the vulnerable populations of the countries that host them. Because of the number of overlapping appeals, it is difficult to track the  amount requested and funded for all Iraq-related humanitarian assistance. Conditions in Iraq are not suitable for their  return, and host countries such as Jordan and Syria prefer that the  refugees return to Iraq. According to IOM, the Iraqi government  has cited improvements in security and offered financial incentives (about  1 million Iraqi dinars) to returning refugee families. The United States Has Made Recent Progress in Resettlement Efforts, but Limited Numbers of Refugees May Be Resettled Worldwide

The U.S. government has made progress in resettling Iraqi refugees under  its U.S. Lack of Comprehensive International Strategic Planning Has Hindered Efforts to Assist and Protect Iraqi Refugees

According to U.S., UN, foreign government, and NGO officials, the  international community lacks a comprehensive strategy to address the  Iraqi refugee situation. Specifically, the international community lacks a strategic planning effort  for the assistance of Iraqi refugees that includes (1) a comprehensive  assessment of the needs of Iraqi refugees and vulnerable host government  populations and uses this assessment to prioritize activities for funding;  (2) a discussion of the limitations of annual budget cycles and efforts to  mitigate these limitations; and (3) a coordination mechanism involving all  stakeholders, including host country governments, international  organizations, international and local NGOs (including local churches),  and donor countries. Second, State, UNHCR, and NGOs do not have a strategy that addresses  concerns raised about factors that may impact assistance efforts, such as  the limitations of working with annual budget cycles and efforts to  mitigate these limitations. Performance measures and indicators should be clearly  linked to progress in achieving stated goals and objectives. In conjunction with relevant U. S. agencies and in coordination with  the donor community, work with UNHCR and the governments of Iraq,  Jordan, Syria, and other relevant host governments to build on the  efforts in the 2009 UN Consolidated Appeal for Iraq and the Region and  develop a comprehensive international strategy for providing  assistance and solutions for Iraqi refugees. This program had resulted in 705 visas issued in fiscal year 2008. Appendix II: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To examine efforts to protect and assist Iraqi refugees, we assessed  challenges in (1) measuring and monitoring progress in achieving U.S.  goals for assisting Iraqi refugees, (2) providing humanitarian assistance to  Iraqi refugees, (3) offering solutions for Iraqi refugees, and (4) developing  an international strategic plan to address the Iraqi refugee situation. To assess U.S. government and international efforts to provide  humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees and to assess international  strategic planning efforts to address the Iraqi refugee situation, we  interviewed officials of the U.S., Jordanian, Syrian, and Iraqi governments;  UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other  United Nations (UN) agencies; nongovernmental organizations; and  research institutes. 4.
Why GAO Did This Study

Iraqi refugees are one of the largest urban populations the UN has been called on to assist. The UN reports government estimates of up to 4.8 million Iraqis displaced within the last 5 years, with 2 million fleeing, primarily to Syria and Jordan. GAO examined challenges in (1) measuring and monitoring progress in achieving U.S. goals for assisting Iraqi refugees, (2) providing humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees, (3) offering solutions for Iraqi refugees, and (4) developing an international strategic plan to address the Iraqi refugee situation. GAO analyzed reports and data; met with officials from the U.S. government, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), international organizations, and NGOs; and did fieldwork in Jordan and Syria.

What GAO Found

To implement its 2008 goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees, State primarily funded and monitored the efforts of its implementing partners, which include international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGO). These activities provided Iraqi refugees and host country populations with education, vocational training, health care, food, and financial support. However, State did not clearly link program achievements to its stated goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees. As a result, State has limited information to assess and report its progress in reaching its goal and objectives and improve program effectiveness. Insufficient numbers of staff to monitor projects, difficulties gaining access to projects and refugees, and the lack of reliable data have challenged State's efforts to ensure that projects help the intended beneficiaries. U.S. and international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries are impeded by the lack of reliable estimates on the needs of Iraqi refugees and data on the funding targeted at Iraqi refugee programs. Iraqi refugees live interspersed among the local urban populations and are not easily identified. Official government estimates on the number of Iraqi refugees in each country may be overstated. It is also difficult to determine the amount of funding provided for Iraqi refugee programs because the U.S. government and UNHCR, the largest bilateral and multilateral funding sources, do not report funding for Iraqi refugee programs separately from that provided for all Iraq-related humanitarian assistance. The U.S. government and UNHCR face challenges in offering solutions for Iraqi refugees. According to UNHCR, voluntary repatriation is the preferred solution, but conditions in Iraq are not yet suitable for Iraqis to return. According to the International Organization for Migration, the Iraqi government has cited improvements in security and offered financial incentives to returning refugee families. Although another solution is integration and settlement in host countries, Syria and Jordan consider Iraqi refugees "guests" who should return to Iraq once the security situation improves. The U.S. government has made progress in resettling Iraqi refugees under its U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, with 15,431 refugees resettled in the United States in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. According to U.S., UN, foreign government, and NGO officials, the international community lacks a comprehensive international strategy to address the Iraqi refugee situation. Although the 2009 UN Consolidated Appeal showed progress in strategic planning, the UN and international community continue to lack a longer-term approach. First, the international community lacks a comprehensive independent assessment of the needs of vulnerable Iraqi refugees and the populations that host them. Second, State, UNHCR, and NGOs do not have a strategy that addresses factors that may affect assistance efforts. Third, the international community has lacked a coordination mechanism that involves all stakeholders.