Message from the ICVA Secretariat: 10 April 2007

For Comment - DRAFT TWO of NGO Statements to UNHCR's Iraq Meeting, 17-18 April 2007

Email message to NGOs on ICVA's mailing list and NCCI's mailing list for the Iraq meeting

* Please send comments (tracked changes mode) on the drafts to information@icva.ch by Thursday, 12 April, 16:30 (GMT+2)*

To: NGOs on ICVA's mailing list and NCCI's mailing list for the Iraq meeting
From: ICVA Secretariat
Date: 10 April 2007
SUBJECT: FOR COMMENT - SECOND DRAFTS OF NGO STATEMENTS TO UNHCR'S IRAQ MEETING, 17-18 APRIL 2007, GENEVA

Dear Colleagues,

Firstly, sincere apologies for getting these second drafts to you later than planned. Given the considerable amount of feedback and comments - much of which was contradictory (!) - the revision of the first draft took much longer than we had hoped (or expected...). We have done our best to balance the various comments, while trying to avoid duplication and contradiction, and trying to get some clear messages across (not an easy task!)

You will notice that the structuring of the statements has been changed quite radically, based on comments received. We have also included a number of sub-headings to try and provide more clarity to the statements.

Please note that we have TEN minutes for EACH statement (i.e. the humanitarian situation IN Iraq and the regional consequences) and that the written version can be longer than the oral version. We hope that you find the reworked versions to be clearer. We do feel that they still need more work. We will ensure a sharper editorial eye to them by the next draft.

We hope that you will be able to provide your comments on these drafts (again, in tracked changes, please) by 16:30 (GMT+2) on THURSDAY, 12 APRIL 2007 to information@icva.ch. We will hopefully be able to turn them around more quickly and get a (final) draft to you by early Friday, 13 April so that you can then provide major objections/concerns on Monday, 16 April (hopefully, there will be none, given the extensive drafting process...).

The drafts are posted on our website's what's new page (www.icva.ch). You are able to download the documents from there using the following username: ngostatements
password: drafting
(both are case-sensitive)

- The Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq http://www.icva.ch/doc00002159.doc; and
- Regional Consequences of the Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq http://www.icva.ch/doc00002160.doc

If you have questions or would like clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us at the ICVA Secretariat.

With many thanks in advance for your understanding for the delay and your feedback.

With best regards,
ICVA Secretariat