A special mission established by the UN in 2003 at the request of the Iraq government has shut down a key office, in another step towards ceasing operations in the country by the end of this year.
The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq closed its offices Mosul this week. Unami, which has its headquarters in Baghdad, was set up after the US-led invasion that toppled the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
It was given a broad mandate to help develop Iraqi institutions, support political dialogue and elections, and promote human rights. The agency’s heads have shuttled between Iraq’s political, security and judicial officials to help resolve conflicts.
Baghdad requested last year that the mission end by 2025, saying it was no longer needed because Iraq had made significant progress towards stability. “Iraq has managed to take important steps in many fields, especially those that fall under Unami's mandate,” Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
However, the mission will continue to deliver in its remaining mandate, “including providing technical electoral assistance, promoting human rights, supporting humanitarian and development tasks”, an Unami representative told The National.
In the final months of the year, the agency’s work will be “transferred to the UN Country Team operating in Iraq or to the national authorities”, the representative said.
“In short, while Unami is leaving Iraq, the United Nations is not. The United Nations will continue to engage in support of the Government and the people of Iraq.”
Unami closed its office in the northern city of Kirkuk at the end of April. Its remaining offices in Erbil, capital of the Kurdish region, and in the southern city of Basra will be closed along with its headquarters at the end of the year.
Mr Guterres, who was in Baghdad this month for the Arab Summit, said during a meeting with Mr Al Sudani that the world body “remains fully committed to continuing to support the government and people of Iraq following the departure of Unami”.
Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs adviser to Mr Al Sudani, told The National that ending the UN mission represents a significant milestone for Iraq.
“It reflects the international community’s recognition of the progress Iraq has made in strengthening its institutions, achieving greater political stability, and moving beyond the post-conflict phase,” he said.
“This is not the end of Iraq’s relationship with the United Nations, but rather the beginning of a new phase – one based on equal partnership, development co-operation, and mutual respect.”
Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, said Mr Al Sudani's government was claiming the concept of sovereignty and that a monitoring mission such as the UN's that reports on the progress of the country should be abolished.
“This is not normal, and these are the words that are used by the Iraqi government: 'We want to be a normal country',” Mr Mansour told The National.
“From the perspective of the Iraqi government, the [UN mission] is outdated and does not fit with where Iraq is right now. From the UN perspective, they believe that they helped with rebuilding of the state.”
Iraq expert Sajjad Jiyad, a fellow at Century International, said Baghdad still needs international support in areas such as fighting corruption and enforcing reforms across state institutions.
“It still needs international support for things that have troubled the Iraqi state for these past two decades – issues like corruption and financial management, engaging in reforms, economic ones, military logistics,” he told The National.
The assistance may not come from the UN but other institutions, although Iraq will continue to deal with the UN, he said.
