IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 110 

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. 

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 imVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:13 Jul 25, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC110.IH HC110

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•HCON 110 IH 

mediate 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 


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•HCON 110 IH 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) deplores and condemns the religious bigotry, 

4 vandalism and destruction of property, violent at5 tacks on and intimidation of innocent Iraqi civilians 

6 by armed extremists and calls upon the Government 

7 of Iraq to take immediate steps to protect the safety 

8 and constitutional rights of all Iraqi citizens; 

9 (2) calls on the President, Secretary of State, 

10 and United States Permanent Representative to the 

11 United Nations, working through the United Na12 tions Security Council with member states and the 

13 Government of Iraq, to develop and implement an 

14 immediate, coordinated, and sustained humanitarian 

15 intervention to protect civilians, stabilize the security 

16 situation in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq, and 

17 facilitate appropriate humanitarian assistance in the 

18 Kurdistan region to help absorb the influx of refu19 gees; 

20 (3) calls on the United States Permanent Rep21 resentative to the United Nations to work with the 

22 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on 

23 a sustained basis to document human rights abuses 

24 against Iraqi civilians and develop an immediate 

25 plan to facilitate safe humanitarian access to potable 


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•HCON 110 IH 

1 water, health care, fuel, electricity, and basic secu2 rity for the most vulnerable civilian populations; and 

3 (4) calls on the United Nations High Commis4 sioner for Refugees to coordinate with international 

5 humanitarian organizations working in Iraq— 

6 (A) to develop an effective strategy for re7 settlement assistance, that incorporates the es8 tablishment of micro-lending enterprises and 

9 business startup loans for the displaced, and for 

10 transitioning emergency relief to longer-term 

11 economic development in beleaguered areas, in12 cluding ancestral villages in the Nineveh Plain 

13 and Kurdistan, to help reestablish viable liveli14 hoods for displaced and persecuted persons in 

15 their communities of origin; and 

16 (B) to develop transparent, accountable 

17 mechanisms to ensure that assistance reaches 

18 the intended recipients and, in particular, to 

19 prevent the diversion of assistance intended for 

20 minority communities. 

Æ 


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