Security Council Renews Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2544 (2020)

The Security Council, in a videoconference meeting* on 18 September, announced its decision to renew the mandates of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) — and the Special Adviser leading it — until 21 September 2021.

In unanimously adopting resolution 2544 (2020), the Council took note of the request by Iraq in its 16 September letter (document S/2020/909).  It also decided that any further extension would be determined at the request of Iraq’s Government, or any other Government that has requested the Team to collect evidence of acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) on its territory, in accordance with resolution 2379 (2017).

By other terms, the Council reaffirmed resolution 2379 (2017), by which the Investigative Team, headed by a Special Adviser, was established, and recalled the terms of reference approved by the Council (document S/2018/119) in that context.

[Security Council resolutions are currently adopted through a written procedure vote under temporary, extraordinary and provisional measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as set out in a letter (document S/2020/253) by its President for March (China).]

* Based on information received from the Security Council Affairs Division.