Iraq

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

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 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.

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).

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.

The United Nations team investigating atrocity crimes committed in Iraq by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) has laid the groundwork for future judicial proceedings, speakers told the Security Council today as they discussed ways to continue accountability efforts beyond the evidence-collecting body’s mandate expiry in September 2024.

A new report released today by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that almost 3 million refugees worldwide will need resettlement in 2025. This is mainly driven by the emergence of new conflicts and the impacts of climate change.

The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today for a final 19 month-period until 31 December 2025, after which UNAMI will cease all work and operations except with respect to any remaining liquidation of the Mission.

Amid calls from Security Council members today to draw down the United Nations mission in Iraq, the senior United Nations official in that country briefed the 15-member organ on both progress and ongoing challenges at many State levels, while emphasizing it is time to “turn the page on the darker images of Iraq’s past”.

In Haiti, the United Nations and its partners continue to support people affected and displaced by the ongoing violence. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its mobile clinics, and its partners have supported more than 20,000 displaced people in Port-au-Prince since the end of February.