Category: Unami

The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to end the political mission in Iraq, established in 2003 after the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.

The mission was formulated to lead post-conflict humanitarian work, co-ordinate reconstruction efforts and establish a representative government in the country.

The Iraqi government asked the international body in a May 8 letter to conclude the mission by the end of 2025.

Iraqi government spokesman Bassem Al Awadi said the decision was “a result of the tangible progress that Iraq has witnessed in various ways, stability at the internal level, and the completion of the political construction process that began in 2003, after the overthrow of a dictatorial regime”, the country’s state news agency reported.

The US-sponsored resolution approved on Friday extended the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, known as Unami, for a final 19 months until December 31, 2025, when all of its work will officially cease.

It also asks Secretary General Antonio Guterres to prepare “a transition and liquidation plan” for Unami to start transferring its tasks and withdrawing staff and assets by the end of its mandate.

Mr Guterres is also asked to help the Iraqi government to better prepare for free elections for the federal parliament as well as for the parliament in the Kurdistan region.

The Security Council said it supports Iraq’s continuing stabilisation efforts, including its continuing fight against ISIS, Al Qaeda and their affiliates.

In 2014, ISIS declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria and attracted tens of thousands of supporters from around the world.

The extremists were officially defeated by a US-led military coalition in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but cells remain active in both countries.

There are roughly 2,500 US troops stationed in…

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The UN Security Council has unanimously decided to end the UN’s political mission in Iraq by the end of 2025, following a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani. The decision reflects Iraq’s desire to assert its sovereignty, with support from major global powers acknowledging the country’s readiness to manage its political future independently.

At the request of Baghdad, the UN Security Council unanimously decided Friday that the United Nations political mission in Iraq will leave the country at the end of 2025 after more than 20 years.

The Iraqi government welcomed the decision, saying it reflected progress and stability in the country since the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was established in 2003 after the US-led invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein.

But analysts say the mission has struggled to make an impact in areas such as impunity, and that its exit is part of a trend for host nations to reject UN missions.

The UNSC resolution adopted on Friday extended the mission’s mandate until December 31, 2025 “after which UNAMI will cease all work and operations.”

The mission has about 700 staff, with tasks including advising the government on political dialogue and reconciliation, as well as helping with elections and security sector reform.

An Iraqi government spokesman said the UNSC decision marked “the completion of the political building process initiated in 2003 after the fall of the dictatorial regime.”

Earlier this month, in a letter to Security Council, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani said UNAMI had overcome “great and varied challenges” and that “the grounds for having a political mission in Iraq” no longer exist.

During the mission’s previous renewal in May 2023, the Council asked the secretary-general to launch a review, which was overseen by German diplomat Volker Perthes.

In a report issued in March, Perthes signaled that the…

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Key Takeaways:

• Sadr Renews The Call To Close The U.S. Embassy; IHEC Proposes New Date For The Kurdistan Region’s Legislative Elections – On May 28, Muqtada al-Sadr called for the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador and the closure of Washington’s embassy “without bloodshed.” Sadr made his call in response to continued U.S. support for Israel, which he accused of committing war crimes and acts of terrorism against civilians in Gaza. Sadr followed up with a televised speech on May 29, in which he attacked the U.S. over what he called double standards and enabling Israeli genocide against Palestinians. Notably, Sadr’s speech displayed the new banner of his rebranded political movement, the National Shia Trend (al-Tayyar al-Watani al-Shee’ie). On May 29, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) sent a letter to the president of the KRG in which it proposed September 5 as the new date for holding the long-delayed legislative elections in the region. The KRG has yet to make a public response to the proposal. In other developments, on May 26, Iraqi PM Mohammed al-Sudani discussed with the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, his government’s request to end the work of the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI), and the timeline for reducing staff levels at the mission. On May 30, KRG PM Masrour Barzani held a series of meetings with Iraqi leaders, starting with National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji and PM Sudani. Barzani said his goal was to focus on mutual priorities and common interests in counter-terrorism, dealing with climate change, and cooperation in building stronger business ties and developing Iraq’s banking sector, and not get stuck on “the decade-old disputes.” more…
• Several U.S. Businesses Attacked In Baghdad, Ostensibly Over Support For Israel – Between May 26 – 30, five Western businesses…

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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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In a formal letter, dated 8 May 2024 and addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani called for “ending the mandate of the United Nation’s Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) on 31 December 2025″, emphasizing that “after more than 20 years of democratic transition and overcoming great and diverse challenges, the justifications for a political mission in Iraq are no longer present”.

This letter was delivered in time, by the Iraqi Charge d’Affaires at the United Nations, before the Security Council (SC)’s scheduled meeting on 30 May 2024, to vote on UNAMI’s fate. Iraq is not a member of the Council, however, it will be difficult for the existing SC members to ignore the wishes of an elected Government of Iraq.

The strategic review

In May 2023, Iraq made a formal request to the SC to reduce the UNAMI mandate. In response, the Council set up a three-man committee, headed by Volker Perthes of Germany, to carry out a “Strategic Review” of UNAMI’s mandate, based on the SC resolution 2682 (2023). The committee visited Iraq in Nov 2023 and conducted 250 interviews with various stakeholders, including the Federal Government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, political parties, civil society organizations, think tanks and the UNAMI staff all over Iraq. They also reviewed the papers and work of UNAMI both in Iraq and New York, before submitting their report to the Secretary General in Feb 2024.

The ‘Perthes’ report unequivocally acknowledged the progress made in Iraq, and that: “the Iraqi political system has, at least over the past eighteen months, increasingly demonstrated its ability to manage crises”. It further adds “no UN political mission should stay in a country forever. Prolonged third-party presence may discourage local solutions and national ownership”. Perthes therefore recommend that “the…

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Baghdad-INA
Government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi revealed on Friday, the new formula for dealing with the United Nations(UN) while he indicated that the work of the UNAMI mission would end on the political side, he stressed that the mission provided great services to the Iraqis and supported the political process.

Al-Awadi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “the UNAMI mission was formed in the eighth month of 2003, after the overthrow of the former regime and the presence of the international coalition, and the absence of a government, but rather a governing council carrying out its new work in Iraq,” indicating that “the idea is to send the nations “UN is a group of experts to provide advice in the fields of political, transitional justice, social reconciliation, etc., in order to assist the Iraqi government and provide advice, consultations and opinions, and they are considered as advisors to the government.”
 
“Files were identified for these experts, most notably supporting the government politically, especially the formation of the government, elections, the relationship with the Kurdistan Region, the issue of Kirkuk, the conflict of the components, the formation of parliament, supporting the judicial and legal framework, independent bodies and civil society organizations, as well as providing advice and assistance on border disputes, whether with Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Jordan the work continued because Iraq’s circumstances at the time required such assistance, he said.
 
He continued, “The mission worked in Iraq and provided great services to the Iraqi people, and tried to push towards the stability of the political process, and submitted important reports to the United Nations, on the basis of which it issued important decisions to support successive Iraqi governments, the political process, and the Iraqi people,” explaining that “the Iraqi government and the people remember these……

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