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I am truly honored to be here with you today to commemorate the 24th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Adopted in 2000, this landmark resolution was the first to acknowledge the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls, as well as their vital role in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and recovery.

Over the past 24 years since its adoption, we have made undeniable strides in advancing women’s rights, inclusion, and the amplification of women voices in peace and political processes. However, it is equally clear that much work still lies ahead. The ongoing events in Gaza and Lebanon starkly remind us that, as an international community, we still have significant work ahead.

This region, more than any other, has borne the brunt of conflict and violence, with women and girls disproportionately affected, enduring the greatest hardships of displacement, conflict, and loss. In Gaza and Lebanon, countless women and girls have lost their lives, while survivors endure repeated displacement under unbearable conditions. They face increased vulnerabilities, struggling not only to survive but also to protect and care for their children amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Despite these immense challenges, we have witnessed the rise of courageous women – women who, despite great personal risks, have taken on critical roles in humanitarian efforts within their communities.

Protecting women, especially during times of conflict, is intrinsically linked to their participation and inclusion in peace and political processes. These two pillars—protection and participation—are interdependent, and neither can succeed without the other. As the UN Secretary-General has underscored, “women’s participation must be the norm, not an afterthought”. Achieving this requires three key elements: strong political will, adequate financial resources, and decisive, sustained action.

Iraq has made significant strides in enhancing women’s roles in peacebuilding, governance, and…

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Mohamed al-Hassan, new head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said late Thursday night the Kurdistan Region over the past decades has become a place of “development and progress,” hoping for successful and peaceful parliamentary elections.

“The election campaign concluded this week. Rallies by political parties and candidates were overall peaceful. This is the true spirit of a democratic process. We encourage the nearly 3 million eligible voters in this part of Iraq, namely in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Duhok, and Halabja, to go out and vote,” Hassan said in an English video message with Kurdish subtitles.

Early voting for security forces began on Friday morning, and the general vote will take place on Sunday.

“We cannot reiterate enough the importance of exercising this right, for which so many fellow citizens have paid a heavy price to ensure it is safeguarded for generations to come,” he said.

This week, the UNAMI chief toured Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) offices across the Kurdistan Region and met with high-level officials including President Nechirvan Barzani and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani.

“The Kurdistan region today is a different region from what it was decades ago. I was very impressed by the development and the progress that I have witnessed so far,” Hassan said.

There are 1,191 candidates vying for the 100-seat Kurdistan parliament – 823 men and 368 women – including 38 candidates for five minority quota seats. There will be 1,400 polling centers, including locations in the disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces, for eligible voters.

“The election campaign concluded this week,” he added. “Rallies by political parties and candidates were overall peaceful. This is the true spirit of a democratic process.”

While UNAMI does not have an official role in monitoring the election, it has…

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Attachments

Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: New Head Of UNAMI Arrives In Iraq; Iran’s Foreign Minister Visits Baghdad, Signals Interest In De-Escalation – On October 13, the new head of the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI), Mohammed al-Hassan arrived in Baghdad to assume his position following the departure of Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. On the same day Hassan met with PM Mohammed al-Sudani for talks that focused on the relationship between Iraq and the UN during the remainder of UNAMI’s time in Iraq, which expires on December 31, 2025. The new UNAMI chief then traveled to the Kurdistan region where he had several meetings with political leaders to discuss preparations for the region’s parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place on October 20. On October 13, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited Baghdad for talks with Iraqi PM Sudani that focused on efforts to end Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon and prevent the conflict from spreading. Araqchi said the objective of his visit was to carry out consultations about the trajectory of events and enhance coordination between Iraq and Iran. At a joint press conference with Araqchi, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein emphasized that Baghdad seeks to keep Iraq away from war, adding that war and peace decisions belong to the Iraqi state and the formal branches of government – a reference to the role of Iran-backed militias in attacks on Israel. Hussein also reiterated Baghdad’s objection to the use of its territory for attacks on neighboring countries, noting that Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace to attack Iraq was unacceptable. Meanwhile, the Iranian minister told reporters that his country was ready for war, but at the same time wanted peace and was not in favor of further escalation with Israel. In other developments, on October 12, PM Sudani received a…

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Prosecutors in the Netherlands on Wednesday asked judges to convict a Dutch woman for joining Islamic State in Syria and keeping two Yazidi women as slaves and sentence her to eight years in prison.

Hasna Aarab, 33, faces charges of taking part in slavery as a crime against humanity for enslaving two Yazidi, between 2015 and 2016, while she lived in Raqqa with her small son and her Islamic State fighter husband.

She had told judges earlier in the trial that she moved from the Netherlands to Islamic State-held territory in Syria in 2015 with her young son to try to change her life for the better.

One of her alleged victims, identified only as Z., told the district court in the Hague she viewed Aarab as partly responsible for Islamic State crimes against Yazidis and the enslavement of not only herself but also her two daughters who were kept as domestic slaves in other households.

“I burned inside when I saw her with her son while I did not have my own children around me,” Z. said as a tearful Aarab listened. Yazidi refugees stand behind fences as they wait for the arrival of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Special Envoy Angelina Jolie at a Syrian and Iraqi refugee camp in the southern Turkish town of Midyat in Mardin province, Turkey, June 20, 2015. (credit: UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS)

Islamic State controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017, before being defeated in its last bastions in…

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with new United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) chief Mohamed al-Hassan on Tuesday in Erbil, discussing Baghdad and the Region’s relations, minority groups, and election processes. 
 
“President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Dr. Al-Hassan on his appointment, wished him success and reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s support for the success of UNAMI’s mission,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
 
Hassan also serves as the special representative for the UN Secretary-General. He assumed his post in Baghdad on Thursday. Hassan “expressed his pleasure to visit the Kurdistan Region,” according to the statement. 
 
The Kurdistan Region will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday with special voting on Friday. While UNAMI does not have an official role in monitoring the election, the mission has conducted regular meetings with officials in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).  
 
“The two sides also discussed the Kurdistan parliamentary elections, the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad, and the status of the communities, with particular emphasis on the Yezidis,” read the statement.
 
Within that context, Barzani expressed “his gratitude to the United Nations for its support to the Independent High Electoral Commission.”
 
UNAMI shared a post on X of the meeting with Barzani, discussing the UN mission’s technical assistance and advice to conduct a free and smooth process.
 
Hassan also met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani during his visit to Erbil.
 
The UNAMI mission is set to end on December 31, 2025. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani made the request in May through a letter submitted to the UN Secretary-General and Security Council, stressing bilateral relationships should…

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi premier received the new head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Mohamed al-Hassan on Sunday in Baghdad, discussing the UN’s future in the country following the conclusion of the UNAMI mission and regional stability.

“The meeting discussed the nature of the relationship between Iraq and the United Nations, particularly following the issuance of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2732, which ended the mission of UNAMI in Iraq,” read a statement from the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.

The UNAMI mission is set to end on December 31, 2025. Sudani made the request in May through a letter submitted to the UN Secretary-General and Security Council, stressing the bilateral relationship should be “based on bilateral consultation and respect for Iraq’s will and sovereignty.”

After meeting with Hassan, the Iraqi statement “expressed appreciation for the efforts made by UNAMI over the past years and emphasized that Iraq’s relationship with all international institutions and organizations will continue.”

UNAMI has not released a statement on the meeting.

Hassan was appointed as the new UNAMI chief and the Secretary-General’s special representative for Iraq in July, succeeding Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. He arrived in Baghdad to assume his post and responsibilities on Thursday.

UNAMI was established in August 2003 at the request of Iraq under the Security Council Resolution 1500 to support Baghdad’s developmental efforts. Its mandate was extended annually.

The Iraqi government has cited greater security and stability for ending UNAMI’s mission.

During the meeting with Hassan, the Iraqi side affirmed its commitment to stability and regional security, while condemning “Zionist aggression” in Lebanon on the UN Interim Force In Lebanon. 

“[T]his attack demonstrates the Zionist entity’s disregard for international laws and norms, stressing the need for an international response,” read the PM’s statement.

While UNAMI does not directly implement developmental and humanitarian programs, it plays…

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Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson of the secretary-general of the United Nations, spoke to Rudaw in an interview on Wednesday in New York about the UN’s role in Iraq’s first census since 1997 and the first official population count including provinces in the Kurdistan Region since 1987. Haq said that the United Nations’ role is entirely “technical” and “it will be the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to use that data in order to create a transparent census.”

A major concern by Kurds with the implementation of the census has to do with it being conducted in areas like Kirkuk which remain disputed under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution. When asked, Haq responded that “the UN has encouraged the Government of Iraq to reach out to all its communities and be sensitive to all their concerns.”

The mandate for the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) completes at the end of 2025. Haq detailed that “its mandate has been streamlined,” and the census “is not a responsibility of the UNAMI mission.” Haq emphasized that through the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Iraqi government is being supported technically “to conduct a transparent, a unbiased census.

Below is the transcript for the interview.

Rudaw: Farhan, thank you so much for the opportunity. My first question: How will the United Nations collaborate with Iraq to facilitate the first census since 1997?

Farhan Haq: What the United Nations is trying to do, including through the UN Population Fund – what’s known as UNFPA – is to basically offer contemporary methodologies that will help allow for the best way of disseminating census results, and then using them for the purposes of development data. So, we’re just trying to make sure that this will be, technically, the most up-to-date way of conducting a census.

…

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TEXAS (KXAN) — Order up! Yelp released its Top 100 restaurants list for 2024, and foodies across the country had plenty of love for the sunbelt region. Top-ranked restaurants in Arizona, Florida and Texas comprised 30% of this year’s list, with notable love for the San Antonio and Houston areas in the Lone Star State.

Here’s a breakdown of all the Texas restaurants included in this year’s roundup.

No. 9: Gino’s Deli Stop N Buy in San Antonio

Located at 13210 Huebner Road in San Antonio, Gino’s Deli Stop N Buy is noted for its Philly cheesesteaks that feature ribeye, provolone cheese, bell peppers, onions and jalapeños. Each day, Gino’s sells almost 250 of those sandwiches, according to Yelp’s coverage.

No. 27: Burger-chan in Houston

Yelp acknowledged this burger restaurant has landed on its Top 100 list for the second consecutive year. Located at 5353 W. Alabama St., Ste. 110 in Houston, Burger-chan is noted for its “unami-powered burgers,” per Yelp’s analysis, adding offerings include beef, chicken, fish and falafel entrees with a secret sauce on top.

No. 38: Tacos Doña Lena in Houston

Twice-recognized Tacos Doña Lena returns to Yelp’s rankings. The fast-casual spot at 8788 Hammerly Blvd., Ste. G in Houston, features tacos, tortas, handmade gorditas, sopes and birria tacos.

No. 61: Avesta Persian Grill in Houston

For nearly a decade, Avesta Persian Grill has been serving up stews, kabobs, rice, curries and appetizers. Located at 11165 Westheimer Road in Houston, owner Zaffar Anvari’s restaurant pulls recipes from his home country of Tajikistan, per Yelp.

No. 63: Pappa Gyros in Katy

RELATED: Austin food truck named best taco spot in Texas by Yelp

Pappas Gyros marries midwestern comfort diner…

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Wednesday welcomed the start of the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections campaigning period and called for a peaceful process.

“The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) welcomes the commencement today of the campaign period for the upcoming Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections scheduled for 20 October 2024,” UNAMI said in a statement.

The UN mission emphasized the need for a campaign free of violence and intimidation.

“UNAMI looks to all candidates, other political actors and the media to foster a climate of respect, inclusivity and open dialogue throughout the campaign,” continued the statement.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Tuesday announced September 25 as the first date of election campaigns which will last until midnight on October 15.

A total of 1,191 candidates are vying for the 100-seat Kurdistan parliament, according to IHEC. That number includes 823 men, 368 women, and 38 candidates from minority communities.

Nearly 2.9 million people are eligible to vote, including around 215,000 early voters. There will be 1,400 polling stations, including locations in the disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces, for eligible voters.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday called on the political parties to run a peaceful campaign, while remaining respectful to women and the symbols of ethnic and religious minorities.

Early voting for security forces and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is scheduled for October 18, while the general vote will take place on October 20.

The electoral process has faced numerous challenges, with interference from Baghdad exacerbating tensions between the Kurdistan Region’s political parties, particularly between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). 

The Kurdistan Region last held elections in 2018. The upcoming elections were initially scheduled for 2022, but have been delayed several times.

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