Category: Unami

Al Hassan succeeds Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of the Netherlands, who began her tenure in January 2018. [Getty]

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Monday the appointment of Mohamed Al Hassan of the Sultanate of Oman as the new special representative for Iraq and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UN’s Secretary-General), the office of the Spokesperson for UN’s Secretary-General said in a statement. 

At Baghdad’s request, the UN Security Council decided unanimously at the end of May that UNAMI would conclude its mission in Iraq at the end of 2025, after more than 20 years. The mission was established by a UN Security Council resolution in 2003 following the US-led invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Al Hassan succeeds Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of the Netherlands, who began her tenure in January 2018 and delivered her final briefing to the UN Security Council in February. In May, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani called for the closure of UNAMI, stating that “the grounds for having a political mission in Iraq no longer exist.”

“The appointment of Mr. Al Hassan underscores the United Nations’ ongoing commitment to supporting Iraq in its pursuit of peace, stability, and development. His extensive diplomatic background and leadership experience are expected to greatly benefit the mission and the broader objectives of the UN in the region,” the statement read.

According to the statement, Al Hassan brings over 30 years of experience in preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding, and development. He has served as the permanent representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations in New York since 2019 and has held several key positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Muscat. These include acting undersecretary for diplomatic affairs, chief of staff, and head of the minister’s department.

He has also…

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For the second season in a row, Unami Middle School’s seventh and eighth grade softball team won the Central Bucks School District’s softball championship.

Outfielder Ava Napoli had an outstanding game performance with two runs scored coupled with multiple exciting catches in center field for crucial outs while pitcher Hannah McClintock racked up a dozen strikeouts, scored two runs and was selected as the team’s player of the game.

Under Unami teacher Scott Fischer (17th season) and assistant coach Nicole Boyer (first season), the team compiled an overall record of 12-2, outscoring their opponents 164-48 with three shutouts. Playing in the Bucks County League’s Northern Division, the eighth grade team compiled a record of 6-2 while the seventh grade squad went undefeated in its regular season schedule.

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Additionally, Fischer, of Chalfont, ended the season with 126 career wins. He has taught social studies at Unami Middle School for 29 years and also previously had coached for seven years as part of the local Lenape Valley softball program.

Both coaches look forward to coaching next year’s team.

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In May, the Rabee Securities Iraq Stock Exchange Index (RSISX Index) decreased by 1.9%, because the Bank of Baghdad, National Bank of Iraq, and Baghdad Soft Drinks, which have the highest weights in the index, recorded a decline in May which might be due to profit-taking following the considerable increase in their share prices in April. In May, the increase in the share prices of Commercial Bank of Iraq, Al-Mansour Bank, and Asiacell partially limited the decline in the RSISX index.

RSISX Total Return (RSISXTR) Index decreased just 0.3% in May with the contribution of the Bank of Baghdad’s IQD0.19 cash dividend per share; corresponding to a 4.6% dividend yield. In May, in addition to the Bank of Baghdad, two more companies decided to distribute dividends as follows; Iraqi Agricultural Products (dividend yield: 0.4%), and Al-Mashreq Al-Arabi Islamic Bank (the dividend yield cannot be calculated because the bank has not traded since its listing on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX)).

The total trading volume of the ISX decreased 31% in May compared to April, amounting to USD31.5 million. The banking sector obtained the highest share in trading volume with 79.1%, followed by the telecom sector (7.1% share), hotels & tourism sector (6.7% share), industry sector (4.3% share), agriculture sector (1.7% share), and services sector (1.1% share).

28 companies’ share prices increased in May, 14 of which increased by more than 5.0%, while 8 increased by more than 10.0%. Gulf Commercial Bank increased the most going up by 141.2% during May, followed by Baghdad for Packing Materials with a 33.3% increase.

If we look at other developments in May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Iraq on May 13. The IMF noted that since the new government took office in October 2022, domestic stability in Iraq has improved. This stability…

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2024-06-14T18:46:41+00:00

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Shafaq News/ On Friday, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ahmed Al-Assadi, announced that Iraq has officially been removed from the United Nations list of countries using children in armed conflict.

“The recent report by the UN Secretary-General on countries using children in armed conflict did not include Iraq’s name,” Al-Assadi said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency. “This is due to Iraq’s commitment to the joint action plan we signed with the UN Country Team (UNICEF, UNAMI) to prevent the involvement of children in armed conflict.”

Al-Assadi noted that this step will enhance Iraq’s standing in the international community. He also affirmed that Iraq has complied with all the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol of 2008, to which it is a signatory.

The statement said that the Executive Committee of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, headed by Undersecretary of Labor for Social Affairs Huda Sajjad and under the direct supervision of the Minister, worked for less than a year on the implementation of the plan in stages in cooperation with a Qatari team, a team from UNAMI, and several ministries, which included prevention, treatment, and cooperation stages.

Notably, the UN list of countries using children in armed conflict is compiled by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. The list includes countries where government forces or armed groups have been credibly reported to have recruited or used children in armed conflict, or to have killed or maimed children in violation of international law.

Iraq was added to the list in 2016 due to the use of children by ISIS and other armed groups. The…

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The Iraqi government requested the mission be constituted by a UN Security Council resolution in 2003 following the US-led invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein read more

The UN Security Council unanimously voted on Friday, at Baghdad’s request, that the UN political mission in Iraq will withdraw after more than 20 years, by the end of 2025.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani demanded earlier this month that the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) be shut down in a letter to the council.

Al-Sudani declared that “the grounds for having a political mission in Iraq” were no longer valid, citing UNAMI’s victory against “great and varied challenges”.

The mission’s mandate was extended by the UNSC resolution that was approved on Friday for “a final 19-month period until 31 December 2025 after which UNAMI will cease all work and operations.”

The Iraqi government requested the mission be constituted by a UN Security Council resolution in 2003 following the US-led invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

It assists with elections and security sector reform, and it counsels the government on political discourse and reconciliation.

Volker Perthes, a German diplomat, oversaw the secretary-general’s strategic assessment that was requested by the Council during the mission’s previous renewal in May 2023.

In a report released in March, Perthes made a suggestion that the mission might be terminated, saying that “the two-year period identified by the government for the mission’s drawdown can be a sufficient time frame to make further progress.”

Moreover, the length of time will allow for the assurance to hesitant Iraqis that the change “won’t threaten peace and security or lead to a reversal of democratic gains.” according to him.

Considering that UN operations may only take place with the consent of the host country, last month Russia, China, Britain, and France all voiced support for a change in the relationship…

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The Iraqi Prime Minister has formally requested the closure of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in a letter to the council earlier this month.

• View of the main entrance of the “Palais des Nations” building which houses the United Nations Offices in Geneva (AFP)

At Baghdad’s request, the UN Security Council has unanimously agreed that the United Nations political mission in Iraq will end its operations by the end of 2025, concluding over two decades of involvement in the country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani formally requested the closure of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in a letter to the council earlier this month.

Al-Sudani stated that UNAMI had successfully navigated significant and diverse obstacles, and he highlighted that the conditions necessitating a political mission in Iraq have dissipated. The resolution passed by the UNSC on Friday extends the mission’s tenure for a final 19-month stretch until December 31, 2025, at which point UNAMI will terminate all activities and operations.

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The UN Security Council established the mission through a resolution in 2003, following a request from the Iraqi government in the aftermath of the US-led invasion and the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Its responsibilities include offering guidance to the government on political dialogue, reconciliation efforts, electoral processes, and security sector reform.

During the mission’s last extension in May 2023, the Council directed the secretary-general to conduct a strategic review, overseen by German diplomat Volker Perthes. In a report released in March, Perthes suggested that terminating the mandate could be appropriate, as he found that “the two-year period identified by the government for the mission’s drawdown can be a sufficient…

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Baghdad-INA  
Iraqi government spokesman Basim Al-Awadi expressed the Iraqi government’s welcome today, Friday, of the UN Security Council’s decision to end the mandate and tasks of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq/UNAMI.
 
Al-Awadi said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), “The Iraqi government expresses its welcome and appreciation for Security Council Resolution No. (2734), which was unanimously issued today, terminating the mandate and tasks of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq/UNAMI, according to a timetable that ends with Complete termination on December 31, 2025.
 
He added, “The end of the mission’s work in Iraq comes at the request of the Iraqi government, which was expressed in the letter of Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani dated May 8, 2024, addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and the UN Security Council in this regard.”
 
He pointed out, “At a time when we praise the international response to Iraq’s request, we affirm that the UN Security Council’s decision came as a result of the tangible progress that Iraq is witnessing at various levels, stability at the internal level, and the completion of the political construction process that began in 2003, after the overthrow of the dictatorial regime, and the growing capabilities of our heroic armed forces of all types, to protect the country’s sovereignty, the acceleration of the economic and urban renaissance movement, and the advanced steps that have been achieved in the fields of reform, good governance, services and social welfare.”

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to continued cooperation and sustainable partnership with the United Nations and its development programs operating in Iraq. We express our gratitude to the UN Secretary-General, the UNAMI staff, and the appreciated services and sacrifices they have made since the…

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