The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, 13 December where he attended a ceremony organized by the Iraqi Government to mark the closure, after 22 years, of the UN political mission in Iraq, known as the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
The United Nations welcomes the 13 December release by Belarusian authorities of 123 political prisoners, including the 2022 Nobel Peace laureate, Ales Bialiatski, as well as civic activist Maria Kolesnikova, commending the efforts of the United States in facilitating this and calling for the release of all remaining political prisoners.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the ceremony to close the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), in Baghdad today:
On 9 December 2025, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1518 (2003) removed the following entry from its Sanctions List of individuals and entities.
The United Nations mission in Iraq will close its doors this month after more than two decades, its senior leader told the Security Council today, as delegates hailed its work and orderly exit amid complex regional conditions.
In Mozambique, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is gravely concerned about intensifying attacks on villages and the rapid spillover into districts considered safe, with nearly 100,000 people displaced in the past fortnight alone. The violence, which began in Cabo Delgado in 2017, has displaced over 1.3 million people.
A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme warns that acute food insecurity is deepening in 16 hunger hotspots, which threatens to drive millions more into famine or risk of famine. Of highest concern are Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and UN partners continue to deliver aid across the country amid multiple attacks in different parts of Ukraine. These attacks are impacting the energy infrastructure in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Vinnytsa.
The Security Council today requested the Secretary-General to appoint a Senior Representative with a mandate focused solely on efforts to repatriate or return all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals — or their remains — and to ensure the return of Kuwaiti property, including the national archives.
