The UN has declared its highest level of emergency in Iraq due to the humanitarian crisis, after Islamic State militants made huge territorial gains in the north of the country.
The body says an estimated 1.2million people have been displaced following the advance of militants, with a large number seeking refuge in Kurdistan.
The declaration by the UN of a "Level 3 Emergency" would "facilitate mobilisation of additional resources in goods, funds and assets" to support the humanitarian operation currently ongoing in Iraq, said UN special representative Nickolay Mladenov.
Meanwhile France has confirmed that it will send arms shipments to the Kurdish soldiers fighting IS, as Germany prepares to send military equipment to the Kurds. The US is already arming the Peshmerga and is supporting them with air strikes on key IS positions.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday the UK is ready to “help out” refugees in Iraq.
Mr Cameron welcomed the news that the situation on Mount Sinjar, where thousands of Yazidis were thought to be trapped, was not as bad as initially reported, causing the US to call off a military mission to rescue the civilians.
"There does seem to be some good news and that is the American-led scouting operation has found fewer people on the mountainside than expected. Also we see that the UK aid drops have made a difference and have got through to people. It's good news that there are fewer people there and they are in better condition than expected," he said.
"Our plans have got to be flexible enough to help those people, working with allies like the Kurds to make sure we can help people in need. This is a complicated humanitarian mission. One of the things we are definitely going to need to do is to get more aid into the refugee camps, like the camp at Dohuk.
"It is very difficult in an area where you have got a lot of fighting taking place, you have got a lot of people moving around. So what you need to do is have plans that are flexible enough to respond to that situation. It is important to get the assets into place. That is why the Chinooks are there. That's why our Tornados are there."