Our Sponsors

Lead Partners

The Education for Peace in Iraq Center
Since 1998, the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) has worked to improve human rights and humanitarian conditions in Iraq. Today, EPIC works through educational programs and advocacy initiatives to stabilize Iraq by supporting Iraqi efforts to advance peace and development on the ground.

Refugee Council USA
Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) is a coalition of U.S. non-governmental organizations focused on refugee protection. RCUSA provides advocacy on issues affecting the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, victims of trafficking, and victims of torture in the United States and across the world. RCUSA helps coordinate and facilitate the Iraq Refugee Work Group which consists of many of the member agencies, broader national and local NGO partners, researchers, academics, think tanks, and other individuals and organizations conducting research and advocacy on the Iraqi Humanitarian Crisis.

InterAction
InterAction is the largest coalition of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations focused on the world’s poor and most vulnerable people. Collectively, InterAction’s more than 165 member organizations work in every developing country to expand opportunities and support gender equality in education, health care, agriculture, small business, and other areas.

Participating Organizations

3D Security Initiative
The 3D Security Initiative (Development, Diplomacy, and Defense) takes a three-dimensional approach to human and environmental security. We promote conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies to Members of Congress, the US military and the US public.

Amnesty International US A
Amnesty International is a Nobel prize winning international human rights organization of more than 2 million members. Amnesty International USA's Refugee Program advocates for the rights of asylum-seekers in the United States, and for the humane and dignified treatment of refugees and migrants worldwide. AI has issued multiple reports documenting the situation of Iraqi refugees in the Middle East region, and the situation of displaced Palestinian refugees from Iraq. In September 2007, AI issued a report focused on the international community's failure to respond to the Iraqi displacement crisis.

Center for Victims of Torture
The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) works to heal the wounds of torture on individuals, their families and their communities and to stop torture worldwide. We work locally, nationally and internationally to build healing communities where torture survivors feel welcomed, protected and healed. As a treatment center, we advocate for the protection of human rights from a unique position – one of healing and reclaiming civic leadership. CVT provides care and rehabilitative services to Iraqi torture survivors at its clinics in Minneapolis and St. Paul; organizes technical assistance and training on issues related to caring for Iraqi torture survivors, in partnership with ACCESS (Dearborn, MI), for U.S. treatment centers for torture survivors; and hopes to establish a rehabilitation center for Iraqi torture survivors now living as refugees in Jordan.

Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Council of America
The Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Council of America (CASCA) works at the federal and state levels to address social and political causes of urgency. Through consultation and coordination, CASCA works to educate the American public and the United States government on issues of critical importance and causes related to the survival of the Christian minorities in the Middle East.

Chaldean Federation of America
Since 1981, the Chaldean Federation of America (CFA) has worked to protect the legal and civil rights of all Chaldean-American citizens. Our mission is to help Chaldean youth pursue academic accomplishments and obtain higher education thru scholarships; to represent and defend the legal and civil rights of all Chaldean-American citizens; and to provide basic humanitarian assistance and social services to Chaldeans worldwide.

Church World Service, Immigration and Refugee Program
Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican communions in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard. Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program has welcomed more than 200 Iraqi refugees to the United States since 2006, and continues to advocate for the urgent resettlement of Iraqi refugees and increased humanitarian assistance to Iraq and neighboring countries.

The Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church, through advocacy and direct resettlement assistance, has historically spoken for the rights and protection of the world’s refugees and other marginalized immigrants in their quest for justice and safety. Our ministry is rooted in the Gospel mandate to extend unconditional hospitality to the stranger and in our Baptismal Covenant which requires us to “seek and serve Christ in all persons” and “to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being”.

We advance policies that urge our government to respond generously in meeting the needs of refugees and marginalized immigrants. Our advocacy, supported by a public policy network of over 20,000 Episcopalians, emphasizes the importance of providing humanitarian assistance to refugees worldwide and in offering greater resettlement opportunities in the U.S. for vulnerable refugees for whom resettlement is their best and only means of protection. Through a network of 30 affiliate offices in 28 dioceses of The Episcopal Church, Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee assistance arm of the Church, assists between 2500 and 3500 refugees annually to find homes in communities where they are often assisted by Episcopal parishes and churches from other denominations in starting their lives anew. We join with ecumenical and interfaith colleagues in pursuing policies and programs that advance the rights and well being of refugees and immigrants.

Because we believe in the inherent value of all of God’s creation, we see all victims of persecution and injustice, particularly refugees and immigrants, deserving of our compassion and protection. In a climate where fear and exclusion are often present, we embrace a ministry of welcome and inclusion. As an Easter people, we welcome the chance to see Christ in each other and to be Christ to each other. We seek to create conditions where the alien among us becomes the friend among us and where hope replaces despair as refugees rebuild their lives in peace and safety.

Human Rights First
Founded in 1978, HRF works to promote laws and policies that advance universal rights and freedoms. We exist to protect and defend the dignity of each individual through respect for human rights and the rule of law.

International Medical Corps
International Medical Corps (IMC) is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Since 1984, our mission has been to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. IMC has had a presence in Iraq since 2003 and has implemented programs in 16 of 18 Iraqi governorates. IMC's projects in Iraq have included, but are not limited to, health care, water and sanitation, economic development, and community infrastructure. IMC's current strategy in Iraq is based on promoting sustainable, long-term development initiatives at the community level while also facilitating the establishment of a legitimate and effective government framework at the national level.

International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) goes to war zones to rescue and then rebuild lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC is a global leader in emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for refugees and others uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. We bring the world's most vulnerable people "From Harm to Home." Our Middle East regional program serves vulnerable Iraqis and host communities in Iraq and Jordan, helping them meet their daily needs and expand their access to social services in areas like education. IRC has also seconded staff who specialize in education, to work as part of the UNHCR team in Syria. Across the United States, IRC teams are welcoming Iraqi refugees, providing needed humanitarian assistance to help them recover and settle into their new communities.

Mandaean Associations Union
The Mandaean Associations Union (MAU) is an international federation of Mandaean Associations and Organizations from around the globe. The MAU strives to maintain, organize and promote the interaction among the different Mandaean communities across world on cultural and spiritual levels. We work to defend Mandaean Human Rights all over the world and especially in Iraq and Iran. The MAU works on protection, advocacy and humanitarian assistance for the Mandaean refugees both outside and inside Iraq.

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns brings the experience of Maryknoll Catholic Missioners who live and work in 36 countries worldwide into the process of shaping international policy and US public opinion by providing information on and analysis of critical global issues, including peace and sustainable security, migration / immigration, response to HIV/AIDS, climate change / environmental destruction and the global economy. We cooperate with other Maryknoll departments on education and advocacy initiatives, and collaborate with various institutions and organizations working for peace, social justice and the integrity of creation.

MercyCorps
Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.3 billion in assistance to people in 100 nations. Supported by headquarters in North America and Europe, the agency's global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach more than 14.4 million people in more than 35 countries. Over the past five years, more than 90 percent of the agency's resources have been allocated directly to programs that help people in need.

NETWORK
NETWORK is a progressive voice within the Catholic community that has been influencing Congress in favor of peace and justice for more than 30 years. Through lobbying and legislative advocacy, we strive to close the gap between rich and poor and to dismantle policies rooted in racism, greed and violence. NETWORK lobbies on Capitol Hill and through its national grassroots membership for peace in Iraq through economic development and peace building. In 2008 NETWORK added the concern for Iraqi refugees after the executive director traveled to the region and met with many refugees and regional leaders in Lebanon and Syria.

North American Dominican Justice and Peace Promoters
North American Dominican Justice and Peace Promoters is a collaborative movement among Dominican Sisters of the Apostolic life aimed at fostering a more compassionate world order through the promotion of peace and justice, integrity of creation and human rights, especially those of women.

The Open Society Policy Center
The Open Society Policy Center (OSPC) is a non-partisan organization established in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks as a response to shifting U.S. government policies. OSPC engages in policy advocacy on U.S. and international issues, including domestic civil liberties, multilateralism, economic development, civil rights, human rights, women's rights and criminal justice reform. OSPC has sought a greater commitment of transparent and accountable U.S. government and international assistance for Iraqi's displaced by conflict.

Oxfam America
Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 120 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice.

Refugees International
Refugees International (RI) generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people around the world and works to end the conditions that create displacement. We take an uncompromising rights-based approach to advocacy on behalf of refugees and displaced persons. Our contribution to the humanitarian field lies in our unique combination of advocacy and action, both with hands-on expertise in crisis situations and with policymakers in Washington, New York, Geneva and other centers.

Veterans for Common Sense
Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) was formed in August 2002 as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization by war veterans who believe that we, the people of the United States of America, are most secure when our country is free, strong, and responsibly engaged with the world. Our mission, based on the pragmatic ideals of the American patriot Thomas Paine, is to raise the unique and powerful voices of veterans so that our military, veterans, freedom, and national security are protected and enhanced, for ourselves and for future generations.

W omen's Commission for Refugee Women & Children
Founded in 1989 to address the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced people, the Women's Commission is an expert resource and advocacy organization. We speak out on issues of concern to refugee and displaced women, children and young people, who have a critical perspective in bringing about change but often do not have access to governments and policy makers. We also provide opportunities for refugee women and youth to speak for themselves through briefings, testimony, participation in field assessments and at international conferences.

World Relief
The World Relief ministry began in 1944 when leading American denominations realized they had a unique means of addressing the needs of war-torn Europe. The Mission of World Relief, as originated within the National Association of Evangelicals, is to work with, for and from the Church to relieve human suffering, poverty and hunger worldwide in the name of Jesus Christ. World Relief works in more than 30 countries and its programs include refugee resettlement, disaster response, HIV/AIDS, maternal child health, microfinance, agricultural development, and immigrant/trafficking victims services.