H.Con.Res. 110 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 110 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 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.