Shafaq News- Erbil

Climate change and drought could eventually force hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of Iraqis from their homes, particularly in the south and among livestock-dependent communities, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) foreign relations chief Safeen Dizayee warned on Thursday.

Speaking at an International Organization for Migration (IOM) event in Erbil, Dizayee said climate pressures are already driving displacement from southern areas toward the north, citing drought in the marshes and the loss of rural livelihoods.

IOM data for September 2025 recorded 31,001 families, or 186,006 people, displaced by climatic factors across 12 Iraqi provinces, with three in five families moving to urban areas. In Dhi Qar alone, more than 10,500 families, nearly 60,000 people, had been displaced by February 2026 because of worsening water shortages and climate pressures.

Dizayee also called for stronger cooperation with international partners to curb irregular migration from Iraq, saying human-smuggling and trafficking networks are too extensive to eliminate completely and that efforts should focus on reducing them. IOM and the Iraqi government launched Iraq’s National Migration Strategy on September 9, setting priorities including protection, regular migration pathways, support for returnees, displacement management, and livelihood opportunities.

Read more: Drought pushes Iraq’s marshland communities into exodus