Affirming the nature and importance of the support of the United States for the religious and ethnic minority survivors of genocide in Iraq.

Whereas national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples including Yezidis, Turkmen, Shabak, Sabaean-Mandeans, Kaka’i, and indigenous Christians (including Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, Armenian, and Melkite communities), among others, have been an integral part of the cultural fabric and history of Iraq and the broader Middle East for millennia; Whereas these same religious and ethnic minorities communities have made invaluable contributions to the prosperity and well-being of Iraq, and to societies across the Middle East and the world, including in the United States; Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS Whereas the Secretary of State declared on March 17, 2016, and on August 15, 2017, that ISIS is responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities against religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq and Syria, including Shia Muslims, Christians, and Yezidis, among other religious and ethnic groups; Whereas the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–300 Whereas members of these religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq continue to face daily insecurity, discrimination, and hardship; Whereas internally displaced members of these religious and ethnic minority communities continue to face significant challenges to returning to their ancestral homelands, including in Mosul, Baaj, Sinjar, the Nineveh Plain, and other Yezidi places, due to security concerns, economic hardship, and shifting demographics; Whereas the restoration and economic revitalization of these regions, as well as the repatriation of the Indigenous communities to their ancestral homes in a manner that provides an opportunity for diverse ethnic and religious communities to flourish, advances Iraq’s stability and the security interests of the international community; and Whereas local self-determination and security protection for the communities of these regions, including Mosul, Baaj, Sinjar, and the Nineveh Plain, within the framework of the Federal Republic of Iraq would restore and preserve the fundamental human rights, including property rights, of the Indigenous peoples of these regions: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) protects and upholds that the fundamental human right and dignity of the religious and ethnic minority communities of Iraq should be a policy priority of the United States and the international community; (2) supports the restoration of security, stability, and economic opportunity of, as well as the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of the displaced Indigenous peoples to the territories of Mosul, Baaj, Sinjar, and the Nineveh Plain, and other ancestral homelands of minority religious and ethnic communities, and should be a policy priority of United States and the international community; (3) supports the restoration of homes, schools, churches and other religious sites, and community buildings of religious and ethnic minority communities in these regions should receive a specific and enduring budget allocation by the Iraqi Government, as well as continued support from international aid donors; (4) supports the effective representation in consultation with members of the Indigenous population, including internally displaced members of religious and ethnic minority communities is essential to restoring and upholding the rights of these communities, in line with article 125 of the Constitution of Iraq, which states that the Constitution shall guarantee the administrative, political, cultural, and educational rights of the various nationalities, such as Turkmen, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and all other constituents, and this shall be regulated by law (5) supports greater regional integration for minority groups in Iraq and encourages the Secretary of State to promote opportunities for affected minority groups to achieve greater administrative autonomy within the federal structure of the Republic of Iraq.

Summary: This resolution affirms that the fundamental human right and dignity of the religious and ethnic minority communities of Iraq should be a policy priority of the United States and the international community.