Security Council Authorizes One-Year Mandate Extension of United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2631 (2022)
The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today for another year, until 31 May 2023, retaining its core tasks.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2631 (2022) (to be issued as document S/RES/2631(2022)) the Council requested that the Secretary–General’s Special Representative for Iraq and UNAMI prioritize the provision of advice, support, and assistance to the Government and people of Iraq on advancing inclusive, political dialogue and national and community-level reconciliation, considering civil society input, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.
The 15-member organ also requested the Special Representative and UNAMI to further advise, support and assist the Government of Iraq in facilitating regional dialogue and cooperation, including on issues of border security, energy, trade, environment, water and the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly those contributing to desertification and drought, resilience building, infrastructure, public health and refugees.
The Council also requested the Special Representative and UNAMI to approach gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and advise and assist the Government of Iraq in ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation, involvement and representation of women at all levels of decision-making, including in the context of elections and government formation, and the promotion of women’s economic empowerment.
They were also requested to promote, support, and facilitate the coordination and delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance, notably to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the transition of humanitarian services to government systems.
Further, the Special Representative and UNAMI were tasked with actively supporting the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to work together and engage in regular and structured dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, including security provisions, budgetary arrangements and the management of Iraq’s oil and gas resources, and to implement existing agreements, including the 2020 Sinjar Agreement.
Taking the floor after the adoption, India’s representative, while welcoming the text, said that UNAMI’s focus on the core mandate should not be distracted by additional tasks. The issue of climate change must be addressed holistically under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and no artificial links between climate change and security should be drawn without firm scientific evidence, he said.
The meeting began at 10:10 a.m. and ended at 10:14 a.m.