Munsee

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Tuesday delivered his final address before the Security Council, voicing support for Iraq beyond the end of the mission’s mandate, which is set to expire December 31. 

“UNAMI’s departure does not mark an end to the Iraq-UN partnership, rather, it represents the start of a new chapter rooted in Iraq’s leadership of its own future,” Mohamed al-Hassan said at the UN Security Council in New York. 

UNAMI was established in 2003 under UN Security Council Resolution 1500, following a request from the Iraqi government at the time. The mission advises the government on political dialogue and reconciliation, as well as helping with elections and security sector reform. 

It is set to end on December 31.

“The United Nations will continue standing by Iraq to build on its hard-won gains through the provisions of technical expertise, advice, and programmatic support by the United Nations country team on matters such as inclusive economic growth, climate resilience, human rights, displacement, and the full and meaningful participation of women, youth, and minorities,” Hassan added.

The UNAMI chief called on Baghdad and Erbil to resolve their “outstanding issues,” including in the country’s disputed territories. Hassan urged both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to form their new cabinets without further delay. 

The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections in October 2024, but the winners, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), have failed to form the government due to ongoing political wrangling over posts. 

Baghdad, on the other hand, held its parliamentary elections last month, with UNAMI support.

“Iraq was able to incrementally consolidate hard-won gains against the odds,” Hassan said, praising…

Continue reading

Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at a UNSC Briefing on Iraq

2 December 2025

Madam President,

We congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the Security Council in December and thank the delegation of Sierra Leone for its able stewardship of the Council during the past month.

We are grateful to Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mohamed Al-Hassan for his briefing on the situation in the Republic of Iraq. Given that this is your final report in this capacity, we would like to express our gratitude for your wise and responsible leadership of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which has enabled the exemplary drawdown of the mission and the transfer of functions to the host country and United Nations entities operating on the ground.

The parliamentary election of 11 November has become a key event over the recent period, the vote was held with the assistance of UNAMI, was overseen by an impressive number of international observers and had a very high turnout of 56.11%, which is 12.57% higher than in 2021. The fact that the election took place in a calm and peaceful atmosphere, without any serious incidents that could compromise the results, attests to the maturity of Iraqi democracy and its state institutions.

We note the tireless efforts by Muhammad al-Sudani’s government on both the socio-economic and security tracks. The Iraqi authorities have managed to garner nearly $1 billion from the World Bank to modernize the railway infrastructure within the subsequent seven years. There is also an agreement reached between the federal government and Erbil to resume supplies via the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline. Owing to the efforts of the Iraqi security services, the threat from ISIL has been minimized, as has the number of civilian…

Continue reading