According to IOM, the bombing of the Al-Askari Mosque in Samara in February 2006 triggered sectarian violence that increased the number of displaced Iraqis. Although military operations, crime, and general insecurity remained factors, sectarian violence became the primary driver for population displacement. As displayed in figure 1, many Iraqis fled their country and immigrated to neighboring countries, particularly to Syria and Jordan. According to UNHCR, the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol provide the foundation for modern refugee protection. According to the Convention, a refugee is someone who, “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.…” The 1951 Convention does not apply to persons who have committed crimes against peace, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. UNHCR recognizes and registers as refugees both those persons who fall within the 1951 Convention criteria and those falling within the extended definition of persons fleeing generalized armed conflict or civil unrest. Registration allows UNHCR to identify Iraqis in need of protection, offer them assistance, and screen them for possible resettlement. According to the UN, of the countries hosting Iraqi refugees in the Middle East, only Turkey, Egypt, and Iran are parties to the 1951 Convention. Syria and Jordan, the two countries hosting the largest number of Iraqi refugees, have not signed the 1951 Convention. As a result, according to the UN, although the refugees have been able to access public services, they have not been able to obtain legal employment and may face deportation if they do not comply with visa requirements, which have become more restrictive over the years. According to UNHCR, the identification, registration, intervention in detention and deportation, and monitoring of access to asylum are important UNHCR functions for refugees. UNHCR coordinates the provision and delivery of shelter, food, water, sanitation, and medical care to refugees throughout the world. UNHCR is also mandated to find solutions to the plight of refugees. According to UNHCR, three solutions are available: First, voluntary repatriation is the preferred solution for the majority of refugees. Most refugees prefer to return home as soon as circumstances permit (generally when a conflict has ended and a degree of stability has been restored). UNHCR promotes, supports, and facilitates voluntary repatriation as the best solution for displaced people, provided it is safe and reintegration is viable. Second, UNHCR may help refugees integrate and settle in the “asylum,” or host, country where they reside as refugees. Some refugees cannot or are unwilling to return because they would face persecution. According to UNHCR, relatively few countries allow refugees to settle. Third, UNHCR may assist refugees in permanently resettling in third countries. According to UNHCR, only a small number of nations take part in UNHCR resettlement programs worldwide and accept annual quotas of refugees. According to State, historically, less than 1 percent of registered refugees are resettled in third countries. Within the U.S. government, the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) has primary responsibility for formulating U.S. foreign policy on population issues, protection and assistance to refugees and conflict victims, and international migration. It also administers U.S. refugee assistance and admission programs. In this capacity, PRM has the lead role within the department in responding to complex humanitarian emergencies around the world and in working to resolve protracted refugee situations. According to State, to protect and assist Iraqi refugees, PRM works closely with regional bureaus, U.S. embassies, and U.S. missions to provide guidance to its international organization and NGO implementing partners and to engage with other donor countries and countries hosting Iraqi refugees. PRM primarily implements its U.S. humanitarian assistance goals for Iraqi refugees by funding and monitoring international organization and nongovernmental organization projects. USAID also provides some humanitarian assistance that benefits Iraqi refugees, but according to State and USAID, most of its programs focus on efforts within Iraq. PRM is also responsible for managing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Within this program, DHS’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for interviewing refugees and adjudicating their applications for resettlement in the United States. The Department of State and its international partners, including UN agencies and NGOs, have funded and implemented a number of programs and projects that benefit Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan. However, although State has established a broad goal and objectives for its 2008 efforts to protect and assist Iraqi refugees, it did not establish performance measures for assessing progress in achieving them. In addition, State and its implementing partners face challenges in monitoring their Iraqi refugee assistance projects. To implement its goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees, State primarily funds and monitors the activities of its implementing partners, which include international organizations and NGOs. According to State, U.S. funding through these organizations has supported the most vulnerable refugees and host country populations. UNHCR, other international humanitarian organizations, and NGO partners provided education, health care, food, financial assistance, and other assistance to Iraqi refugees and vulnerable host country populations (see fig. 2). For example, in Syria, UNHCR and the World Food Program provided food rations and nonfood items such as mattresses, blankets, and household items to Iraqi refugees. Additionally, in Syria and Jordan, UNHCR provided monthly cash assistance primarily to vulnerable Iraqi refugees, including single female heads of households. In Syria, for example, the heads of households received approximately $100 per month, with an additional $10 for each dependent. Appendix V provides more details on the number of Iraqis who benefited from UNHCR assistance in 2008. In terms of health care, we visited a clinic in Jordan, funded through the State Department’s PRM bureau, which assisted Iraqi refugees, and met with outreach workers. According to the program manager, the project provided health care to Iraqis and stipends for some Iraqi women conducting community outreach. (See fig. 3, showing an Iraqi volunteer conducting outreach.) In Syria, we visited another PRM-funded project that provided medical assistance to Iraqi refugees and vulnerable host country populations (see fig. 4). According to the program manager, the clinic provided primary health care, child health screening, chronic noncommunicable disease care, maternal health care, and health education. We toured the pharmacy, the dental unit, and the laboratory where basic tests are performed. At another NGO project site in Syria, we visited a summer school program for Iraqi refugee children. According to the program manager, in addition to the academic lessons provided in Arabic, English, math, and science, Iraqi students participate in summer camp activities. During our visit, we observed children participating in various camp activities, including arts and crafts and a musical production. According to the program manager, all of the participants were Iraqi children. He also stated that the children received meals while attending the activities. The program manager stated that these activities were designed to promote the Iraqi students’ emotional and social well-being. It is difficult to determine the progress of U.S. efforts to assist and protect Iraqi refugees because State’s 2008 goal and regional objectives were broad and difficult to measure. In addition, State did not have corresponding performance measures that clearly linked the achievements of its Iraqi refugee activities to progress in meeting its overall 2008 goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees. Prior GAO work suggests that leading organizations promote accountability by establishing results-oriented goals and corresponding performance measures by which to gauge progress. Measuring performance allows organizations to track the progress they are making toward their goals and give managers crucial information on which to base their organizational and management decisions. Figure 5 provides more information on State’s 2008 performance management efforts for Iraqi refugee assistance compared with leading results-oriented practices. As shown in figure 5, State established a goal and objectives for its 2008 efforts concerning Iraqi refugee efforts as part of its overall goals and objectives for its efforts to assist refugees, internally displaced persons, and other conflict victims. However, on the basis of our review of State’s assessment of progress achieved in fiscal year 2008, it was difficult to determine the extent to which State achieved its overall goal and objectives. Although State reported progress achieved in 2008 by sector and at the country level, it did not aggregate these data to demonstrate how these activities that it funded helped State meet its overall goal of assisting and protecting Iraqi refugees. Similarly, State did not develop corresponding performance measures and milestones, nor did it compile and aggregate the data it needed to assess and report on its progress in achieving its objectives to expand engagement through funding of NGOs and international organizations, contribute to regional security by channeling humanitarian assistance through primary international organization partners, promote UNHCR to achieve solutions for Iraqi refugees, or ensure greater burden sharing. State measures PRM’s bureauwide progress for humanitarian assistance at the global level, but this effort does not include specific performance measures for assessing progress toward its goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees. According to State officials, the goal and objectives for Iraqi refugees are in line with the PRM bureau’s overall humanitarian response strategic goal for fiscal year 2008 and with its performance goals for global refugee protection, solutions, and assistance. State officials said that progress on its global efforts is measured through bureauwide indicators, including acute malnutrition and crude mortality rates. Similarly, progress on protection efforts by PRM partners is measured at the global level through performance relating to “non-refoulement,” as reported in UNHCR’s annual protection reports. However, these indicators are not generally applicable to specific programs targeting Iraqi refugees.