Iraq: Providing access to legal support for families of missing persons

In Iraq, families of missing persons face immense difficulties in accessing necessary official documentation, which is critical for their day-to-day lives, impacting their legal status and access to various services. Recognizing these challenges, in February 2023 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Iraqi Bar Association (IBA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to mobilize lawyers registered with the IBA to provide legal consultation and representation for families of missing persons who are enrolled in the ICRC’s Accompaniment Programme to address their legal and administrative needs.  

This MoU was renewed in April 2024 increasing the number of supported families (from 48 in 2023 to 420 in 2024), covering 6 areas where the Accompaniment Programme is being implemented in Iraq. It creates a strategic partnership between the ICRC and IBA to ease the struggles of these families in obtaining essential civil documentation such as birth certificates, national identity cards, curatorship documents and death declarations. In its first year of implementation, the MOU focused on two geographical areas: Saqlawiya in Anbar governorate and Kirkuk governorate in Iraq. In 2024 this has been expanded to include North of Babil, Dohuk, and Talafar, Abu Maria and Sinjar in Mosul.