Over 1.6 million people remain internally displaced in Iraq in 2019. They live mainly in the governorates of Erbil, Duhok, Sulaimaniyah and Ninewah, which are also home to over 253,600 Syrian refugees. Due to this influx and prolonged conflict, local resources and public services have been strained and economic opportunities dramatically compromised, thus impacting on the living conditions of host communities.

Against this background, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) launched the Headway programme in February 2019, with generous funding from the European Union’s (EU) Regional Trust Fund, MADAD.

This fact sheet introduces the programme, its objectives and key activities.