Content Menu
Austrian humanitarian assistance en route to the Kurdistan Region

Austrian humanitarian assistance en route to the Kurdistan Region

The Austrian humanitarian assistance that should help ease the plight of the 1.5 million people that have sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region fleeing from the extremists of the IS, is now en route to Erbil, the Region’s capital. Defense minister Gerald Klug as well as representatives of the Austrian Foreign Ministry on Thursday bode farewell to the cargo plane of the Austrian armed forces that will transport the freight to Germany, from where it will then be flown to Kurdistan.

The humanitarian assistance consists of several Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHK) standardized by the UN World Health Organization (WHO). These kits allow for the medical care of 100,000 refugees over a period of approximately three months. The medical supplies are designed for use in disaster situations and can also be administered by medical staff with limited training. For more information about the health kits please consult the World Health Organization website here.

The Representation of the Kurdistan Regional Government-Iraq in Austria is grateful to the Republic of Austria and its institutions, in particular the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Federal Ministry of Defense as well as the Austrian Red Cross for the rapid, direct and generous assistance that was provided.

Thanks to the tireless personal commitment of the staff and many helpers this much needed help was organized in a very short time period and is already on its way to the refugees in need in the Kurdistan Region.

The humanitarian assistance will be delivered to Erbil by air cargo within the next few days. On the ground, the supplies will be received by the KRG disaster management team and redirected to the most affected areas in the Kurdistan Region.

(Picture: Defense minister Gerald Klug with members of the Austrian armed forces at the farewell ceremony for the humanitarian shipment , © foto-kerschi.at )