[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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