A/HRC/44/41/Add.1 Annex Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons on her visit to Iraq I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, conducted an official visit to Iraq from 15 to 23 February 2020 at the invitation of the Government of Iraq. The objective of her visit was to gather first-hand information on the situation of human rights of internally displaced persons in Iraq, their assistance needs and protection concerns, and progress towards durable solutions. Her visit followed those of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons in 2010 and of the previous mandate holder in 2015. 1 She travelled to Baghdad, Erbil, Ninewa (including Mosul) and Dohuk. 2. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Iraq for the invitation to visit the country and the high-level cooperation extended at the federal, regional and local levels, including by the Kurdistan Regional Government and governorates. She also thanks the Government for its full respect for the independence of her mandate in accordance with the terms of reference for country visits by special procedure mandate holders. 3. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur met government officials at the national, regional and local levels. In Baghdad, she met with officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement, the Ministry of Justice and the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Center. She met with officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil, including the Minister of the Interior, the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, and representatives of the Joint Crisis Coordination Center. At the governorate level, she met with officials in Ninewa and Dohuk. She also met with donors and members of the diplomatic community in Baghdad. 4. The Special Rapporteur met the United Nations country team, representatives of civil society, and humanitarian and development actors. She thanks in particular the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General/Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), including its Human Rights Office and the Office of the Chief of Staff, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the invaluable support provided in preparation for and throughout the visit. She also thanks representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the United Nations Mine Action Service, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Development Programme, as well as members of civil society, who provided valuable information relating to the issue of internal displacement. She expresses gratitude to the Global Protection Cluster and the Iraq Protection Cluster for the excellent collaboration and additional support provided. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the remarkable work carried out by the above-mentioned organizations to provide support for and assistance to internally displaced persons and returnees in Iraq. 5. The Special Rapporteur also consulted with internally displaced persons in and out of camp settings, including women and children, through focus group discussions and bilateral discussions. Many of these people had been displaced multiple times and made failed attempts to return to their areas of origin. 1 2 See A/HRC/16/43/Add.1 and A/HRC/32/35/Add.1.