Guterres announces from Baghdad the end of the mission of the UN mission in Iraq

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Saturday in Baghdad the end of the mission of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) after 22 years of its establishment, considering that the country has become a “normal country” as it moves to a new phase of stability.

The closure of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq – UNAMI, at the request of the Iraqi government, came after more than two decades of providing support and advice during the political transition that followed the American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, which overthrew the regime of former President Saddam Hussein.

“The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq has been honored to work side by side with the Iraqi people,” Guterres said during the closing ceremony of the UNAMI mission, stressing that the end of a political mission does not mean the end of the United Nations’ role in the country.

He added, “The United Nations will continue to support the Iraqi people on their path towards peace, sustainable development and human rights.”
Various United Nations agencies and programs will continue their work in Iraq to support development efforts.

During a press conference in Baghdad with Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, Guterres said, “There is one thing that the world must understand, which is that Iraq has now become a normal country, and relations between the United Nations and Iraq will be normal relations with the end of UNAMI’s mission.”

He said, “It is a source of pride for the United Nations that it played a role in this period of Iraq’s history.”

In turn, Al-Sudani said, “The end of the UNAMI mission does not mean the end of the partnership between Iraq and the United Nations, but rather represents the beginning of a new chapter in the areas of development, comprehensive economic growth, and providing advice.”

The mission was established by a UN Security Council resolution in 2003 based on an official request from the Iraqi government, before its powers were expanded four years later, and its mandate was renewed annually.

Shortly after its founding, the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad was attacked with a truck bomb on August 19, 2003, killing the first United Nations Special Representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, along with 21 other people.

The UNAMI mission’s tasks included providing advice to the Iraqi government in the areas of political dialogue and national reconciliation, helping to organize elections, and supporting security sector reform.

In recent years, as Iraq regained a measure of stability and gradually returned to normal life, the Iraqi authorities considered that there were no justifications for the continued presence of a UN political mission in the country.