Iraq in difficult transition, needs international community’s support to face

Daunting challenges, says Deputy Secretary-General in New York Meeting

 

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s opening remarks at the meeting on the midyear report on the International Compact with Iraq in New York, 20 July:

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to this meeting.  Thank you all for participating in the launch of the first progress report on the International Compact with Iraq.

The Compact process, launched by Prime Minister [Nouri Kamel al-] Maliki and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Sharm el-Sheikh on 3 May this year, is central to the partnership between the Government of Iraq and the international community.  It is a key component of our collective efforts to achieve greater peace and stability in Iraq.

We are honoured that His Excellency Barham Salih, DeputyPrime Minister of Iraq, could join us by video link today to inform us on the latest developments in his country.  It will be particularly important to learn what progress has been made on the implementation of commitments under the Compact.

The report before you demonstrates the commitment of the Government of Iraq to the agenda of the Compact.  It provides a good record of achievements over the past 12 months.  And it contains a very useful account of the situation in Iraq, showing both progress and constraints.

The security situation remains the most significant determining factor in the implementation of the Compact.  Given the context of relentless violence in Iraq, the progress achieved thus far under the Compact initiative is remarkable.

Nationally, there has been progress towards establishing security forces dedicated to serving the country as a whole.  Parliament has made noteworthy progress on the legislative agenda.  The law on the independent electoral commission was passed and the commission has been established.  And after six months of intensive work, carried out with the assistance of the United Nations, the Constitutional Review Committee has submitted a draft report to Parliament and will shortly submit its final report.

The Compact also marks several milestones towards Iraq’s reintegration into the region and the broader community of nations.  We have witnessed this process in the Sharm el-Sheikh meetings and in the formation of three working groups on energy, refugees, and security.  The working group on energy met in Istanbul at the end of June, and the other two groups are to meet in the coming weeks.

While much has been achieved, much more needs to be done to bring Iraq closer to the vision underpinning the Compact.  The Compact partnership stems from the commitment of the Government of Iraq to carry out a comprehensive programme of reforms and investments over the next five years.  To do so, the Government and people of Iraq require the sustained support of the international community in every way possible.

The commitments made at the Compact launch in Sharm el-Sheikh, and in Brussels and Madrid before that, must be fulfilled.  To foster progress in other areas, there must be more debt relief, including more debt write-off.

For the United Nations, the Compact is a vital framework for fulfilling our shared responsibilities towards Iraq and its people.  That is why the United Nations is strongly committed to the Compact and continues to support its implementation mechanism.

Iraq is in a difficult transition.  It is at this critical juncture that the Government needs the support of the international community so that it can face the daunting challenges ahead.  The Compact offers a robust framework for identifying and measuring Iraq’s needs so as to enable the best application of international support to priority areas in an effective and transparent way.

I thank those who have already contributed to efforts under the Compact, and hope that you will undertake new commitments.  I am confident that, through our concerted efforts, we can help re-build a peaceful and prosperous country for the sake of the Iraqi people.

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For information media • not an official record