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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…
The last full supermoon of 2025, known as the Cold Moon, will illuminate the late autumn sky on Thursday, Dec. 4.
When and how to view the Cold Moon supermoon
Skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see the supermoon starting at sunset when it rises in the east, and the moon will be at its highest path and brightest around midnight, according to the U.S. Naval Observation Astronomical Applications Department.
The full moon will fall at 6:14 p.m. EST.
A 97 percent illuminated Cold Moon rises behind the EdgeNYC outdoor observation deck at Hudson Yards as the sun sets in New York City on December 13, 2024.
Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
See more details here on Thursday night’s moon via NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
What is a supermoon?
NASA defines a supermoon as the occurrence “when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit,” which is also known as perigee.
Lunar perigee happens at about 226,000 miles from Earth every 27-day orbit period, according to NASA.
The agency notes that the term supermoon, though not an official astronomical term, describes, “a full Moon that comes within at least 90 percent of perigee.”
Viewing a supermoon is special because they only occur three to four times a year, according to NASA.
How does a Cold Moon gets its name?
Moons can earn a variety of monikers and nicknames, but per the Farmer’s Almanac, are derived from “centuries of Native American, colonial, and European traditions.”
The Cold Moon — as this December full moon is commonly to…
“I never expected to become a photographer when a friend put a Rolleiflex camera in my hands,” writes Susan Ressler (born 1949 in Philadelphia) of her introduction to photography in 1968. Coming of age during an era of “tumultuous” political and social change, from the “pervasive unrest and idealism” of 1960s counterculture to the mounting violence of the Vietnam War, Ressler has spent the past five decades documenting stark disparities of power, depicting “the haves to the have-nots”, as she puts it, “and how in America, they coexist with dis-ease”.
Fifty Years, No End in Sight offers a comprehensive overview of Ressler’s contribution to American photography, accompanied by her own reflections. From her famous series of corporate boardrooms in 1970s Los Angeles and intimate portraits of First Nations families in Canada to her ongoing engagement with the sprawling, hyper-real environments of Southern California, No End in Sight presents an artist who routinely challenges, in the words of Los Angeles County Museum of Art associate curator Eve Schillo, “the myths and realities of our everyday… to see through our fictions that often pose as facts”.
Photos hidden for 35 years
Graduating from the University of New Mexico in the early 1970s, Ressler accepted an invitation from the anthropologist Asen Balikci to document Algonquian communities in rural Quebec. “The experience was so profound that not only did it convince me to pursue photography to this day,” she writes, “but the pictures I made then remained hidden for 35 years.” Ressler expresses regret at her youthful naivety, unaware of “the complexities of documentary photography”, a medium that risks exploiting subjects for the sake of one-sided or biased stories. Taken in 1972, Ressler’s photographs of the Algonquian were first published in 2007 as a limited boxed set. A selection from the series is reproduced in this book,…
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Elk Lake basketball off to 2-0 start
Chase Pond scored 22 points- including four 3-pointers- to lead Elk Lake to a 65-47 win over Wyalusing in a nonleague boys basketball game on Thursday.
Pond scored eight of his points during a 22 point third quarter for the Warriors (2-0). Brayden Miller added 11 points and Kendel Jones had 10. Tyler Caplan and Myles Kershner each led the Rams with 12 points.
Elk Lake 65, Wyalusing 47
Elk Lake 17 15 22 11
Wyalusing 12 9 9 17
Elk Lake: C. Pond 8 2-2 22, B. Miller 5 1-5 11, K. Jones 4 1-2 10, J. Heitsman 4 0-1 9, C. Stephens 2 4-6 8, J. Hitchcock 1 0-0 3, B. Birtch 1 0-0 2, P. Upright 0 0-0 0, T. Upright 0 0-0 0, L. Sprout 0 0-0 0, B. Hewitt 0 0-0 0.
Wyalusing: T. Caplan 4 4-6 12, M. Kershner 4 2-2 12, A. Neiley 3 0-1 6, N. Kilmer 2 0-0 5, P. Cunningham 2 1-2 5, B. Johnson 1 0-0 3, M. Culver 1 0-0 2, J. Vandermark 1 0-0 2, S. Gartland 0 0-0 0.
3-Point Field Goals: C. Pond (EL) 4, K. Jones (EL), J. Hitchcock (EL), J. Heitsman (EL), M. Kershner (WYA) 2, N. Kilmer (WYA), B. Johnson (WYA).
Elk Lake 65, Nanticoke Area 40
John Heitsman scored 18 points and Chase Pond finished with 12 with two 3-pointers in Elk Lake’s 65-40 victory over Nanticoke Area in a nonleague boys basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Kendel Jones finished with 11 points for the Warriors in their season opener. Louden Mullery led the Trojans with 10 points and Treyton Mishanski scored eight.
Elk Lake 15 12 22 16
Nanticoke Area 9 12 13 6
Elk Lake: J. Heitsman 8 1-2 18, C. Pond 4 2-2 12, K. Jones 5 0-0 11, P. Upright…
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Post-war Iraq will lead its own future after the United Nations closes its mission there at year’s end, the UN envoy to the Middle Eastern country said Tuesday.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will be shutting down its operations after 22 years of helping the country transition from instability in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion and occupation as well as the ouster of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship.
UNAMI’s departure “represents the start of a new chapter rooted in Iraq’s leadership of its own future,” Mohamed Al Hassan, the head of the mission, told the UN Security Council during a meeting devoted to the situation in Iraq.
He assured the council that the international community was witnessing “an honorable and dignified closure of a UN mission.”
But “the road to peace, security and stability was long and difficult,” he added.
With the international community’s support, “Iraq came out victorious, but with untold sacrifices,” Al Hassan said.
Last year, the mission established in 2003 was extended one last time until December 31, 2025.
Baghdad said the closing of the UN mission marked “the completion of the political building process initiated in 2003 after the fall of the dictatorial regime.”
UNAMI’s tasks included advising the government on political dialogue and reconciliation, as well as helping with elections and security sector reform.
On Tuesday, Al Hassan addressed the council after Iraq held its sixth parliamentary election in November.
The envoy expressed the hope that a new Iraqi government would be formed without delay.
“Iraq has overcome successive conflicts on a hard-won path to stability,” he said.
“Nevertheless, the lasting effects of conflict have given rise to dire and persisting humanitarian needs, with about 1 million Iraqis remaining internally displaced.”
At 11:28 a.m. on Thursday, the National Weather Service released a snow squall warning in effect until noon for Broome, Chenango, Cortland and Tioga counties.
“At 11:28 a.m., a dangerous snow squall was located along a line extending from near Otselic to Cincinnatus to near Marathon to Danby, moving east at 40 mph,” according to the weather service. “Travel will become difficult and potentially dangerous within minutes.”
Locations impacted by the warning include Norwich, Maine, Guilford, Plymouth, North Norwich, Nanticoke, Coventry, Greene, Oxford and Berkshire.
The weather service adds, “Reduce speed and turn on headlights! During snow squalls, the visibility may suddenly drop to near zero in whiteout conditions.”
Hazards include intense bursts of heavy snow. Gusty winds leading to blowing snow and rapidly falling visibility. Wind gusts greater than 35 mph.
The snow squall guide: Preparation and caution on winter roads
What are snow squalls?
Snow squalls are intense winter weather events often associated with strong cold fronts. They can quickly blanket roads with snow and ice, even without a major winter storm in the forecast. Typically lasting less than an hour and resulting in minor snow accumulation, these squalls can still be dangerous due to reduced visibility, gusty winds, and rapidly dropping temperatures. Unfortunately, these conditions have historically contributed to serious and sometimes fatal traffic accidents.
Understanding snow squalls vs. snowstorms
The difference between a snow squall and a snowstorm is the duration of the event. Snow squalls are usually very short-lived (on the order of 30-60 minutes) and extremely intense. A snowstorm could last for several hours or even days.
Snow squall warnings
Snow squall warnings are short-fused and focused on distinct areas (like tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings). These warnings provide critical, highly localized life-saving information. If a snow squall warning is issued for your area, avoid or delay motor travel until the squall…
NEW YORK — The WNBA and its players union agreed to an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement to Jan. 9 just before their current deadline ran out Sunday night.
Just like the previous extension, both sides have the option to terminate the extension with 48 hours advance notice.
The sides had announced a 30-day extension to the original Oct. 31 deadline. That extension was set to expire Sunday night just before midnight. They met over the holiday weekend hoping to come an agreement.
The union proposed the six-week extension after the league had proposed a shorter one.
“We expect substantive movement from the league within this window,” the union said in a statement.
With nothing urgent on the immediate horizon except for the expansion draft for Portland and Toronto, it would be unlikely that either side would exercise the option to terminate the extension.
Last season’s expansion draft for Golden State was held in December.
Free agency would be the next big thing for both sides to deal. That usually is done in late January. This is an unprecedented offseason with all but two of the league’s veterans free agents. Players signed one-year deals last season knowing there would be huge salary bumps when a new CBA is agreed upon.
The sides have been sending updated proposals back and forth and met frequently, including Sunday. Salaries and revenue sharing are the two biggest sticking points. Earlier this month, the league put forth a proposal that would include revenue sharing and have a maximum salary of $1.1 million available to more than one player per team, growing each year.
Other things the players are pushing for include expanding retirement benefits, codifying the league’s charter flight travel and having a minimum standard for team facilities.
When the previous CBA…
Madam President,
I would like to begin by congratulating you on Slovenia’s presidency of the Security Council for the month of December and by thanking Sierra Leone for the conduct of our work last month.
I would also like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Mohammed Al Hassan, and all the staff of UNAMI for their constant commitment in the service of Iraq. In that regard, I would like to pay a particular tribute to Sergio Vieira de Mello and to the members of the United Nations who lost their lives in 2003 while serving for this Mission. Finally, I would like to welcome the presence among us of the representatives of Iraq and Kuwait.
I have three points to make.
1/ Firstly, France welcomes the smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections held in Iraq on November 11.
In recent months, Iraq has demonstrated a real capacity to move forward on the path of strengthening its institutions. The successful holding of the November 11 elections, conducted on schedule and throughout the country, follows Iraq’s political and security progress. These developments illustrate the resilience of the Iraqi people and their determination to consolidate their democratic institutions.
France encourages Iraq to continue its efforts in key areas such as economic diversification, the fight against corruption, and the promotion of youth employment and gender equality. We also support the effective implementation of human rights in Iraq.
2/ Secondly, Iraq’s stability must be preserved from regional tensions.
In a regional context marked by multiple sources of instability, Iraq plays an essential balancing role. France commends the Iraqi government’s efforts to prevent the country from being drawn into the crises that are splitting the region. We encourage all regional actors to fully respect Iraq’s sovereignty and to refrain from any interference.
The fight…