[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 110 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 110
Calling for urgent international intervention on behalf of Iraqi
civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution in
the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 24, 2014
Mr. Fortenberry (for himself, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Van Hollen)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling for urgent international intervention on behalf of Iraqi
civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution in
the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq.
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports as of January
2014 a total population of concern in Iraq numbering 1,522,855 people,
including refugees and internally displaced persons, many of whom face
grave deprivation and imminent threats to life, health, and safety;
Whereas recent extremist attacks on civilians have exacerbated the serious
dislocations and pressures facing individuals within this population of
concern, and have had a particularly severe effect on ethnic and
religious minority communities in the region, where civilians require
immediate and urgent access to potable water, health care, fuel,
electricity, and basic security;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council stated on July 22, 2014, ``The
members of the Security Council further recall that widespread or
systematic attacks directed against any civilian populations because of
their ethnic background, religious beliefs or faith may constitute a
crime against humanity, for which those responsible must be held
accountable,'' and denounced the persecution of Iraqi Christians and
other minorities, including Yizidis and Mandeans;
Whereas reports indicate that some 150,000 Iraqi people in the immediate region
of the Nineveh Plain, whose families have a history in the region dating
back hundreds and even thousands of years, are now facing ethnic and
religious cleansing, persecution, harassment, intimidation, extortion,
displacement from their homes, and have been targeted for retribution by
extremist elements affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS);
Whereas the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2165 (July 14,
2014), which can provide guidance for urgent action in Iraq, as it
addresses similarly grave humanitarian needs in neighboring Syria;
Whereas Iraqi civilians in the Nineveh Plain region require immediate protection
from armed militants and urgent humanitarian assistance; and
Whereas the grave humanitarian crisis in the Nineveh Plain region has serious
potential implications for the broader stability of Iraq and other
nations in the region: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) deplores and condemns the religious bigotry, vandalism
and destruction of property, violent attacks on and
intimidation of innocent Iraqi civilians by armed extremists
and calls upon the Government of Iraq to take immediate steps
to protect the safety and constitutional rights of all Iraqi
citizens;
(2) calls on the President, Secretary of State, and United
States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, working
through the United Nations Security Council with member states
and the Government of Iraq, to develop and implement an
immediate, coordinated, and sustained humanitarian intervention
to protect civilians, stabilize the security situation in the
Nineveh Plain region of Iraq, and facilitate appropriate
humanitarian assistance in the Kurdistan region to help absorb
the influx of refugees;
(3) calls on the United States Permanent Representative to
the United Nations to work with the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees on a sustained basis to document
human rights abuses against Iraqi civilians and develop an
immediate plan to facilitate safe humanitarian access to
potable water, health care, fuel, electricity, and basic
security for the most vulnerable civilian populations; and
(4) calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees to coordinate with international humanitarian
organizations working in Iraq--
(A) to develop an effective strategy for
resettlement assistance, that incorporates the
establishment of micro-lending enterprises and business
startup loans for the displaced, and for transitioning
emergency relief to longer-term economic development in
beleaguered areas, including ancestral villages in the
Nineveh Plain and Kurdistan, to help reestablish viable
livelihoods for displaced and persecuted persons in
their communities of origin; and
(B) to develop transparent, accountable mechanisms
to ensure that assistance reaches the intended
recipients and, in particular, to prevent the diversion
of assistance intended for minority communities.
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