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As my tenure as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq draws to a close, I wish to express my gratitude and deep appreciation to all Iraqis, in particular those I have met and worked with.

Over the past five years, I was repeatedly touched by the generosity and hospitality of a people who never departed from their tradition of welcoming an outsider or assisting those in need, even if at the expense of their own comfort or time. I learned much from listening to Iraqi women and men explaining their history with pride. Though many faced down serious challenges, an optimism for the days ahead often shone through. They welcomed me and other UN colleagues into their towns and homes, inviting us to join for a meal or an event and never passing up an opportunity to showcase Iraq’s rich culture and immense beauty. Throughout the country, including the Kurdistan Region, countless people of all ages spontaneously shared, time and again, their hopes and aspirations. And I will forget none of them.

I also truly valued the professional meetings and discussions we had with a wide spectrum of partners. From civil society representatives, academics, tribal chiefs and religious leaders to local, provincial and national authorities, judges, security officials and politicians. Needless to say, their insights and perspectives taught us a great deal and guided our work. Some of these meetings involved individuals putting everyday differences aside to find solutions at critical junctures for Iraq. All such engagement left an indelible impression on me. And, of course, I cannot overstate our gratitude to the many branches of Iraq’s government, which, through relentless efforts, facilitated our work and protected UN personnel and operations.

None of this is to say that the UN has been immune to criticism -…

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Iraq has requested that a United Nations assistance mission set up after the 2003 US-led invasion of the country ceases its operations by the end of 2025, saying it is no longer needed because Iraq has made significant progress towards stability, Reuters reported.

The mission, known as UNAMI and headquartered in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, was set up with a wide mandate to help develop Iraqi institutions, support political dialogue and elections and promote human rights.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who met with UNAMI chief Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Sunday, said Iraq wanted to deepen cooperation with other UN organisations but there was no longer a need for the political work of the UN assistance mission.

The mission’s head in Iraq often shuttles between top political, judicial and security officials in work that supporters see as important to preventing and resolving conflicts but critics have often described as interference.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Al-Sudani said: “Iraq has managed to take important steps in many fields, especially those that fall under UNAMI’s mandate.”

For her part, Plasschaert praised the important steps and promising initiatives taken by Iraq during the last 18 months, especially in the areas of service provision, infrastructure reconstruction, investment, plans to mitigate environmental impacts and reducing dependence on imported fuel.

Iraqi officials say the country has come a long way from the sectarian war after the US-led invasion and Daesh’s attempt to establish a caliphate, and that it no longer needs so much international help.

Some critics worry about the stability of the young democracy, given recurring conflict and the presence of many heavily armed military-political groups that have often battled on the streets, most recently in 2022.

READ: Iraq government officially requests end of UN mission in Baghdad

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2024-05-27T11:52:09+00:00

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Shafaq News / On Monday, a meeting of major Kurdish parties in Iraqi Kurdistan affirmed the importance of the presence of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in the country.

Independent Kurdish politician Serdar Abdullah stated, “A special meeting was convened today in al-Sulaymaniya with representatives from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Change (Gorran) Movement, the Kurdistan Islamic Justice Group, and the Kurdistan Islamic Union to deliberate on the continuation of UNAMI’s presence.”

Abdullah emphasized that “all Kurdish parties present at the meeting affirmed the necessity of UNAMI’s presence in Iraq due to its significant role in supporting the Iraqi government and its positive impact on the country.”

He further noted that “the parties agreed to send two letters: one to the UN Security Council and the other to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. They stressed the importance of UNAMI’s continued presence and plan to dispatch these letters before the Security Council’s meeting next Thursday to discuss the Mission’s withdrawal from Iraq.”

Abdullah added, “At the end of May each year, Iraq submits a memorandum to the UN Security Council outlining its position on whether to retain the Mission. A specialized committee from the Security Council visited Iraq a month ago, holding over 250 meetings with various Iraqi stakeholders and drafting a report. All Kurdish parties concurred on the necessity of UNAMI’s continued presence for the upcoming phase.”

Notably, Prime Minister Al-Sudani had officially requested on May 21, in a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, that the UNAMI mandate be terminated by December 31, 2025. 

He stipulated that the Mission’s remaining efforts for this year should focus solely on completing its work in economic reform, service…

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