Coming Home: The Challenge of Return for Iraq’s Displaced

It is estimated that one in five Iraqis — nearly five million people — has been displaced from their home. Due to the improved security situation and the increased difficulty of displacement, Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people are beginning to return, only to find their homes destroyed or occupied by others. In the past four months, the Iraqi Government has shifted from a policy of criminal sanction of the secondary occupants to a system of incentives; from a court-centered process to an administrative approach to property return. The USIP Rule of Law Program and the International Organization for Migration have been working with Iraqi Government actors to facilitate the development of policies and mechanisms to resolve property claims and find durable solutions for the displaced. This event will assess the policies in place and identify remaining challenges to ending the displacement crisis.

Archived Audio

To listen to audio or to view video, please click on the links provided below. You also can right click on the links and choose "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File." This will save the file to your computer and then allow you to play it in your media player directly. More Audio Help.