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UN: Iraq moves beyond dark past of violence

2025-08-21T13:01:56+00:00

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Dr. Mohamed Al-Hassan, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), praised on Thursday, the resilience of Iraqis who have endured years of violence.

“Today, Iraq has moved beyond that dark past and is enjoying peace thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of all Iraqis,” Al-Hassan remarked, marking the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

Describing the occasion as a moment to honor victims across the country and recognize the courage of survivors, he highlighted that “justice knows no time limit, and human rights know no boundaries.”

Background on the occasion

The International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017 and is observed annually on 21 August. The day is intended to recognize the rights and needs of victims, foster solidarity, and ensure that their voices are not forgotten.

For Iraq, the observance carries particular significance. The country has faced decades of extremist violence, from al-Qaeda bombings and sectarian conflict in the 2000s to the atrocities committed by the Islamic State group after 2014. These years of conflict left mass graves, displaced millions, and devastated entire communities.

This week’s commemorations focus on attacks that remain among the most emblematic of that era. On 19 August 2003, a truck bomb destroyed the UN Headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, killing 22 people, including the UN’s top envoy, Sérgio Vieira de Mello. Six years later, on the same date, a massive explosion struck the Iraqi Foreign Ministry near the…

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ISHM: August 14 – 21, 2025

ISHM: August 14 – 21, 2025 – Iraq | ReliefWeb Skip to main content

Iraq

Format News and Press Release Source Posted 22 Aug 2025 Originally published 21 Aug 2025 Origin View original

Attachments

Key Takeaways:

  • POLITICS: Kurdistan Parliament to Convene in September; Another Former Governor Among Hundreds Disqualified by IHEC – On August 14, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) issued a joint statement saying they had agreed to work together to convene the regional parliament, which has been virtually idle since last year’s legislative election, within the next month. The two parties, whose leaders met in Erbil, pledged to make progress toward forming the next cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). On August 19, a spokesman for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that a total of 542 candidates had been disqualified from competing in the November parliamentary election. Of these, 253 were disqualified over suspected ties to the Ba’ath Party, while 119 were disqualified for having criminal records or for fraud. A review of the lists shows candidates from across the political spectrum, including Coordination Framework factions, major Sunni and Kurdish parties, and parties representing Iraq’s minority communities. At least three former governors (Ninewa, Salah ad-Din, and Kirkuk) and one former cabinet minister are among those disqualified so far. In other developments, on August 20, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court struck down an amendment to the Iraqi Passport Law that parliament passed in January. The amendment drew notoriety because it included a provision entitling thousands of senior and mid-level government officials, along with their family members, to obtain and keep diplomatic passports for life. more…
  • SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Iraq Begins Excavating Mass Grave Site; Senior ISIS Militant Killed; UNAMI…

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Iraq on World Humanitarian Day: From Canal Hotel attack to climate-driven displacement

Shafaq News

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is marked each year on August 19 in honor of aid workers and people affected by crises. The date was chosen after the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters at Baghdad’s Canal Hotel, which killed 22 staff members, including Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello.

More than two decades later, Iraq stands at a transitional stage—no longer an international emergency, but still facing protracted displacement, explosive hazards, and climate-related challenges that require sustained assistance.

From Conflict Response to Transition

Iraq’s humanitarian profile has changed sharply since the defeat of ISIS. Emergency needs have decreased, and the government is gradually resuming full responsibility. The UN Security Council this year extended the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a final term until December 31, 2025, marking a shift from international political oversight toward nationally led stabilization and services.

“The United Nations will continue supporting Iraq even after the mandate of UNAMI concludes at the end of 2025,” UN representative Mohamed al-Hassan said on Tuesday.

While UNAMI’s political mission winds down, UN agencies will continue their development and humanitarian programs. The Canal Hotel attack, which gave rise to WHD, also reshaped global security standards for aid operations, making Iraq central to how the UN manages risks in complex environments.

Smaller Emergencies, Persistent Risks

According to UNHCR, Iraq still hosts about 1.03 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and more than 340,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mostly in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Around 109,000 IDPs remain in 21 camps in the Region, while others live outside camps, often struggling with poor services and limited access to legal documents.

Displacement today is not only a legacy of conflict. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that by March 2025, climate pressures such as

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United Nations and Government of Iraq Deliver Transformative Results for Sustainable Development in 2024 [EN/AR]

Baghdad, 14 August 2025 – The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Iraq, working closely with the Government of Iraq, has launched the 2024 UN Annual Results Report, highlighting transformative achievements that have accelerated Iraq’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national development priorities.

The report marks the conclusion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2020–2024 and reflects the collective impact of 23 UN agencies partnering with national institutions, civil society, the private sector, and international partners to address Iraq’s most urgent challenges while laying the foundation for long-term stability and prosperity.

In 2024, joint UN–Government efforts delivered impactful results across five priority areas:

  1. Social Cohesion, Protection and Inclusion: Nearly 285,000 children, women, and families accessed child protection and domestic violence response services. Housing rehabilitation supported 2,695 returnee families, while 209 community policing initiatives-built trust between law enforcement and residents. Peacebuilding advanced through the engagement of 416 women and youth in Local Peace Committees, driving reconciliation and promoting peaceful coexistence in conflict-affected areas.
  2. Economic Growth for All: The UN boosted inclusive economic opportunities by creating 1,300 jobs and 62,000 worker days in Nineveh and Duhok. Livelihood support packages strengthened resilience for 8,209 households, while 7,539 job-seekers – 29% women – were linked to employment through service centres. To stimulate local economies, $7 million in grants helped 540 SMEs expand, while the renovation of 50 dairy centres created 730 jobs. Additionally, 465 entrepreneurs were trained by UN-certified trainers to start or grow businesses.
  3. Effective, Inclusive and Efficient Institutions and Services: The UN supported Iraq’s first national census in over three decades, a milestone for data-driven policy and equitable resource allocation. Education services improved for 1.5 million children – 53% girls – through the school-based management model, while 47% of 290,418 identified out-of-school children re-enrolled…

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UNAMI on Instagram: ” | UNMAS #UNMAS2024AnnualReport – #IMPACT in #Iraq Strengthened national capacity with 17 #MineAction management trainings for 218 police officers (incl. 30 women) & 244 capacity-building sessions for national NGOs. Supported standards review through 6 roundtables; enhanced coordination via national meetings bringing together authorities, donors & operators. Cleared 1,442,810 m² of land, removing 3,592 explosive items, enabling #IDPs returns & access to land for housing, agriculture, and development. Delivered #EORE to 16,112 Iraqis (incl. 4,319 women & 5,198 girls) to reduce risk from explosive ordnance. Trained 47 humanitarian workers (incl. 15 women) to ensure safer humanitarian operations. Thank you to Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and Sweden for your support in Iraq! Read Full Report: https://www.unmas.org/en/unmas-2024-annual-report”

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Bitterviper – Bitterviper | The Quietus

Although David Grubbs has worked with all of the musicians who join him in Bitterviper, they’ve yet to all gather in a single place. Still, they all seem highly attuned to what one another does. The quartet’s eponymous debut was produced through file sharing, an accretive process set in motion by lush, often psychoacoustic solo cello lines and patterns played by the Athens-based Nikos Veliotis and subsequently layered with sounds by Grubbs, Japanese electronics master Taku Unami, and percussionist-composer Sarah Hennies. Across four gorgeously contemplative, deeply spacious pieces the ensemble achieves a stunning cohesion, even without considering that everything we hear was produced in four different locales at different times.

The music is generally marked by a meditative strain of exploration, as long tones and subtly transforming drones quietly ripple with microscopic variations, but Grubbs – who toggles between electric guitar and piano – often adds accents and terse melodic tattoos, injecting contrapuntal figures to the mewling, texture-rich fabric of sound that forms the core of Bitterviper. On the opening track ‘Bird of Prey Beaten Back’ there’s a steady tension produced by the viscous bowed cello, machine-like low-end synthesizer churn, and the steady rain-like patter of a hushed staccato cymbal part, with Grubbs weaving in terse but limpid guitar fills, interrupting the hovering placidity like a pebble skipping across a still pond. The piece proffers a kind of model for what follows, as the richly striated sonic foundation is flicked and caressed in various ways by Grubbs

Some instrumental shifts brings something different with ‘Pillows Plumped for the Guests’, the bowed tuned percussion of Hennies initially forming a harmonic bond with the long tones of Veliotis; a delicate, richly marbled drone occasionally throttled by Unami’s low-end electronic undulations and finely proportioned cymbal sizzles. Grubbs adds elliptical…

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World offers condolences for Iraq’s tragedy

2025-07-17T14:34:05+00:00

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Several countries and international organizations, including Turkiye, Russia, Iran, the United States, France, Lebanon, and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), extended condolences to Iraq following the deadly fire in Wasit.

The blaze, which broke out inside a crowded hypermarket in the city of Kut, claimed the lives of more than 60 people, including women and children. Dozens more were injured, many trapped by the flames before rescue teams could intervene.

Here are the official statements of condolence:

– Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry:

– Russia’s Embassy in Iraq:

– Iran’s Foreign Ministry:

– United States Embassy in Iraq:

–…

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2014 one of Iraq’s bloodiest years as casualty rates soar, UN mission reports | Indiablooms

New York, Jan 3 (IBNS) Casualty figures for Iraq in 2014 were at their highest in over five years amid a spate of deadly violence which has been convulsing the country, the United Nations mission in the country reported on Friday.

According to the latest figures issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), last year saw a total of 12,282 Iraqis killed and another 23,126 injured, registering as the worst outburst of violence experienced by the country since the 2006-2007 biennium.

“Yet again, the Iraqi ordinary citizen continues to suffer from violence and terrorism,” said Nickolay Mladenov, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNAMI, in a press release.

Since the beginning of 2014, Iraq has experienced a surge in violence as militants associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) conduct an ongoing offensive against the Government, threatening the country’s overall stability as well as the lives of thousands of Iraqi civilians.

In December alone, 1,101 Iraqis were killed and another 1,868 were wounded in what UNAMI defined as “acts of terrorism and violence,” The country experienced the peak of devastation in June with a total of 4,126 civilian casualties. UNAMI also noted that Baghdad was the worst-affected Governorate for the month of December with a total of 1,051 casualties reported.

Nonetheless, due to difficulties in conducting on-the-ground verifications of casualty figures, the UN Mission warned that the figures reported “have to be considered as the absolute minimum.”

In the press release,  Mladenov condemned the “very sad state of affairs” afflicting Iraq and voiced hope that 2015 would usher in a glimmer of peace, as he urged political actors to unite in finding “peaceful solutions to the problems that face the country.”

“I do hope that 2015…

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UN Mission meets Kirkuk officials and communities ahead of November elections

2025-07-03T11:15:28+00:00

Shafaq News – Kirkuk

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) held a series of meetings with electoral officials and local communities in preparation for Iraq’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 11 November 2025.

Over two days, a UNAMI delegation led by Principal Electoral Adviser Dr. Aamir Arain met with staff at the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) office in Kirkuk and held separate discussions with representatives of the province’s Arab, Turkmen, and Kurdish components.

Kirkuk has an estimated 1.1 million eligible voters.

At the IHEC office, the UN team reviewed the progress of technical preparations and raised key concerns shared by electoral stakeholders. The meetings focused on practical steps to ensure transparency, inclusive participation, and public confidence in the electoral process.

UNAMI also met with political and community leaders from across Kirkuk’s diverse constituencies. Talks centered on mechanisms for supporting a peaceful and credible vote in a province that has long experienced political tensions. Participants agreed to maintain open communication as Iraq moves closer to election day.

Notably, the United Nations played an advisory and observatory role during Iraq’s October 2021 parliamentary elections. However, it did not participate in the provincial council elections held in December 2023.

UN involvement in 2021 was welcomed by many Iraqi civil society organizations as a vital safeguard for transparency and fairness. At the same time, some political actors criticized the mission’s role as overstepping Iraq’s internal sovereignty.



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