S/PV.8285 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2018/604, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2421 (2018). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

We are pleased to join members today to welcome the adoption of resolution 2421 (2018), on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The United States has greatly appreciated the support of the Iraqi Mission and of our fellow Security Council members, as well as the collegial and collaborative manner in which this renewal was negotiated. This renewal marks the first overhaul of the UNAMI mandate since resolution 1770 (2007) was adopted, 11 years ago. It differs from its predecessors in several important ways. To begin with, Council members decided, on a one-time basis, to extend this year’s mandate for a period of 10 months so as to better align mandate renewals with the budget cycle, in keeping with the findings of the UNAMI independent external assessment. It is a seemingly small change but one that will promote better accountability of United Nations funds and a more efficient budget process. The mandate was also streamlined: the document itself was trimmed down for from nearly seven pages of text to just two, while preserving the core responsibilities and functions of UNAMI at this critical juncture in Iraq’s history. However, it is important to know the complexity of the challenges UNAMI and Iraq will face moving forward. The mandate underscores the importance of supporting Iraq in meeting the needs of all Iraqis, including women, youth and members of religious and ethnic minority groups. That is an area of particular interest to the United States. We expect UNAMI to work more closely with the Government of Iraq to address the unique needs of those groups and individuals, as part and parcel of the broader national- and community- level reconciliation effort needed to be undertaken. In March, Special Representative Jan Kubiš issued a press release that echoed that call: “Iraq draws its strength from its cultural and religious diversity and its rich history. This treasure should be protected and nurtured by the Government and the people of Iraq.” We strongly support that call. We also encourage UNAMI to coordinate closely with other United Nations agencies in Iraq, including the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to ensure continuity of effort and progress on humanitarian, reconstruction and development efforts at the community, Government and national levels. Iraq faces diverse challenges, some of which are unrelated to the scourge of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham and the path of destruction it left in its wake. The World Bank is already doing great work to help Iraq stabilize its financial footing. As the mandate notes, work also remains to be done on sustainable development and regional cooperation, to include addressing broader water-management issues and mitigating the dust storms that persistently plague Iraq’s people. We recognize the importance of regional and civil society organizations in addressing those challenges. This morning’s mandate renewal is reminder of the constructive role the United Nations can play around the world, especially in the Middle East. We look forward to Iraq continuing to lead the way forward and playing a positive role. We extend our thanks to Special Representative Kubiš and the entire UNAMI team for their continued excellent work.

The parliamentary elections in May were an important democratic step forward for Iraq. The decision to recount all votes means that the process is not yet at an end and that the United Nations has a central role to play in support of that critical exercise. Once formed, a challenging to-do list awaits the new Government. A strong, well-resourced United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), with the capacity to assist and advise the Government as it works to dress those complex challenges and to be able to provide good offices, is perhaps more relevant than ever. I would like to thank the Iraqi delegation for the excellent cooperation in the process of drafting resolution 2421 (2018), and the United States, as penholder, for its work on the resolution. We especially appreciate their efforts to streamline and update the text. There are two areas where we feel that UNAMI’s mandate has been particularly strengthened: on the role of women and the situation of children. First, we welcome the inclusion, for the first time, of an operative women and peace and security component in UNAMI’s mandate, which brings UNAMI into line with other missions. That will allow the Mission to further enhance its efforts to ensure women’s full and meaningful participation in the political process. Secondly, we welcome the inclusion of the issue of strengthening child protection in Iraq, with a focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration of children. Successful reintegration is in the best interests of children, but it is also critical for reconciliation. The resolution adopted today not only renews but improves and modernizes the mandate of UNAMI. We look forward to its full implementation.