Iraq

Consensus has been reached on a draft pandemic agreement after more than three years of intensive negotiations. By that, Member States of the World Health Organization took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics.

Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) delegates today began reviewing the revised financial implications of the Secretary-General’s plan to draw down 510 personnel from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) over the course of 2025, with the bulk of reductions set for year-end.

In Gaza, United Nations aid operations — together with UN partners — continue to scale up across the Gaza Strip. The Organization is also carrying out assessments to determine the needs of impacted and displaced families. Across Gaza, 22 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme are now operational.

With its recent national census and long-overdue parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq is secure and stable despite the obstacles it faces, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today as speakers expressed concern over proposed changes to the country’s Personal Status Law and its impact on women and children.

In Haiti’s capital, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have distributed more than 900,000 litres of water to more than 60,000 [displaced] people in 26 sites over the last week. The World Food Programme (WFP) has provided more than 95,000 hot meals to some 24,000 displaced people across four sites.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) says that one year into the Gaza war, the humanitarian crisis has reached a catastrophic level — with unprecedented casualties, widespread destruction and severe food insecurity.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in connection with the examination of the fifth report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Iraq (S/2024/247), agreed to address the following messages through a public statement by the Chair of the Working Group.

In Ukraine, attacks today and over the weekend continue to impact civilians in front-line areas. Authorities reported that, on 13 July, an attack on a railway in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine caused nearly 30 civilian casualties, including children.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Mohamed al Hassan of Oman as his new Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).