New centre to offer Iraq's displaced communities information

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners have launched a national hotline in Iraq to provide timely aid-related information for Iraqis affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis, a UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Information Center is a joint initiative expected to enhance two-way communication between displaced people and aid agencies on humanitarian assistance and other essential services, said the spokesman.

An estimated 3.2 million people have been forced into displacement in Iraq since January 2014.

The UN agency has donated essential health supplies sufficient to treat thousands of patients, the spokesman said, adding that the supplies include trauma kits, surgical supply kits, dressing kits and medicine.