To aid victims of the Khoy earthquake, a joint UN assessment mission visited Khoy and Firuraq in West Azerbaijan province of Iran on 6 February 2023. The mission met with victims of the earthquake, provincial officials and NGOs and identified relief and disaster recovery needs.

At the request of the Iranian authorities, the assessment mission was organized by the UN Resident Coordinator in Iran and included UN OCHA, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, WFP, WHO, and IOM.

The mission found that the 500 seismic events since Oct 2022 that culminated in the 28 Jan earthquake, have badly affected housing in Khoy. More than 72 villages up to a radius of 20 km from the epicenter of the quake have been hit. Local authorities sought UN assistance in reconstruction of over 150 schools, a hospital and at least 7 health houses that have been damaged, and in protection of heritage sites from future natural disasters.

During the rebuilding process in Khoy, the UN will focus on vulnerable groups including the elderly, adolescent girls, and children with disabilities. In addition to the emergency relief assistance already dispatched to the area, the UN will work with local communities to enable a swift transition to disaster recovery.

Source: UN Country Team in Iran