Photo by Ali al-Saadi/AFP/Getty Images

Iraqi refugee children from the violence-ridden Diyala province eat inside tent provided by the Iraqi Red Crescent in the al-Husseiniya district of Baghdad. Nine hundred families are currently staying in the tent city.

Dr. Hakki appealed for immediate and massive international humanitarian intervention to avoid a "tragedy of unprecedented proportions."

Here is the transcript of Dr. Hakki's remarks:

We have a humanitarian crisis in Iraq that requires urgent attention. As of June 1, 2007, the number of internally displaced persons inside Iraq has reached a total of one million. 55% of these individuals are children under the age of 12. There are over 3.5 million externally displaced people from Iraq that have fled to nearby countries such as Syria, Jordan, and Iran, thereby increasing the strain on the resources of these countries. Again, 55% of those 3.5 million people are children under the age of 12. The humanitarian challenge at hand combined with the precarious state of security in Iraq is imposing severe constraints on the daily lives of the Iraqi people. The absence of a viable security solution in Iraq is responsible for a shortage of basic human necessities, in addition to a lack of acceptable health care and even a deficiency of potable water for over 70% of Iraqis. Moreover, due to the deteriorating security situation, the fledgling Iraqi government has been unable to allocate appropriate government funds to provide much needed aid to the Iraqi people. Thus the battle for Iraq is now a struggle for survival being fought on a daily basis by ordinary Iraqis all over the country.

Iraq is facing a humanitarian tragedy of unprecedented proportions without the direct intervention of all other nationally or internationally accountable organizations. Regrettably, neither the United Nations nor the International Federation of the Red Cross/Crescent have been able to sustain a notable operational presence inside Iraq; the activities of the aforementioned organizations are conducted by remote management from other countries. Therefore, without a marked physical presence, the impact of such intervention is very much limited. Today, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization (IRCO) is the primary humanitarian provider on the ground in Iraq, and has operated effectively throughout the last three years. The Iraqi Red Crescent Organization currently has one hundred thousand volunteers and employees, and over three hundred offices throughout Iraq. Additionally, the Iraqi Red Crescent has opened offices in Jordan, Syria, and Iran. In sum, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization has the unique potential to utilize power, technical capability, and financial support to ensure a rapid and successful response to the present humanitarian crisis facing the Iraqi people.

The solution to the dire predicament facing Iraqis requires a coordinated, multi-faceted response both inside and outside of Iraq. To that effect, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization has been working hand in hand with the government of Iraq and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In order to respond to the internal crisis facing the Iraqi people, and at the request of various Iraqi governmental agencies and ministries, the Iraqi Red Crescent delivers food and medical supplies to otherwise inaccessible areas of violent conflict throughout Iraq. For those externally displaced Iraqis, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization is working with the International Federation of the Red Cross and the respective host Red Crescent Organization of that country, whether it is in Jordan, Syria or Iran, to provide all manner of humanitarian aid. The Iraqi Red Crescent has also asked to be able to coordinate with the United Nations forces to contribute to a viable solution to the challenge of the Iraqi humanitarian situation. Together, the Iraqi Red Crescent, the Iraqi government, and prestigious organizations like the United Nations forces and the International Federation of the Red Cross can combine efforts to maximize the relief available to the Iraqi people.

Aside from relief organizations, the international community as a whole, most particularly the United States and Europe, are able to contribute greatly to improve the plight of the Iraqi people. As the most effective relief organization on the ground in Iraq, the Iraqi Red Crescent is able to accurately assess the tools needed to help alleviate the deterioration of the humanitarian crisis of Iraq. Thus the Red Crescent has a duty to declare that, in addition to the monetary constraints that hinder a greater outreach of humanitarian assistance to Iraqis, there is also an urgent need for the basic necessities for medical aid such as ambulances, water purification systems, medicine, and wheelchairs. Left unattended, the humanitarian crisis of Iraq will become a tragic and fatal example of human affliction, with far-reaching consequences not only for the new Iraq, but also with effects that will be felt in the region and even globally. Iraq has suffered for over three decades now, and its people are locked in a dire struggle for survival that is worsening on a daily basis. In the name of humanity and civilization, we all have a moral obligation to come together to help alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people. United, we can successfully face the challenges that lie ahead.

I would like to thank all of those countries that so generously contributed humanitarian aid to Iraq in the past and continue to do so. The people of Iraq will never forget those who stretched their hands out to help Iraq in its darkest hour.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished member of the Commission, I thank you most sincerely for your time.