The closing of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq presents Baghdad with an opportunity to assert full sovereignty after years of conflict, officials and experts told The National.
At the government's request, Unami will stop operations by the end of this month after 22 years of assisting the country in its transition to democracy after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein.
The mission was established to support Iraq's rebuilding of state institutions and democratic governance. It also helped to co-ordinate post-conflict humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.
“The end of Unami marks Iraq's renewed assertion of sovereignty after two decades of political support from the UN,” a government official told The National.
However, the UN will remain a vital asset in addressing Iraq’s economic, social, and institutional challenges through technical and co-operative efforts, he said.
“Handled wisely, this transition could mature Iraq-UN relations into a balanced partnership based on support rather than oversight,” said the official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.
'No longer needed'
Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at London's Chatham House, said Baghdad sought to end Unami's mission to present a “normal Iraq” to the international community.
“The idea was to present a different type of Iraq that did not have a specific UN special representative that reports to the Security Council,” Mr Mansour told The National, and added that it “seemed unnecessary” to Iraq's leaders.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani's government was formed after “Iraqi leaders came together on their own to build their state” without the UN's assistance, Mr Mansour said. This was the move that pushed Baghdad to say it “no longer needed Unami”, he said.
Iraq will still have ties with UN agencies, but they will no longer be focused on politics and security.
Sajad Jiyad, an Iraq expert at the Century Foundation think tank in New York, said the country has reached a point of stability and self-reliance, and has the resources to provide the services and support that once came from the UN.
“The future looks promising and I don’t think the leadership are concerned about this step. In a positive sense, Iraq no longer needs the UN mission as it did in the past,” Mr Jiyad told The National.
The UN mission provided crucial frontline support during Iraq's conflict with ISIS by providing humanitarian aid, he said. “It also supported internally displaced people. Their crucial aid work will be missed, their absence will be felt in certain areas.”
However, “Iraq is not a poor country; it should be able to cover what the UN was able to offer”, he said.
The agency provided critical support across a wide range of areas, including advising the government on political stabilisation, promoting inclusive national dialogue and supporting community-level reconciliation in conflict-affected areas.
It has also played a central role in electoral assistance, helping Iraq conduct several rounds of local and national elections, including the general election held last month that saw 56 per cent voter turnout and was widely viewed as successful.
The UN envoy to Iraq, Mohammad Al Hassan, said the elections were “the most fair, free and peaceful”.
“When you see an election that fair and democratic, you know that that’s a belief in a new Iraq.”
Iraq now 'a normal country'
Iraq is now engaging with the regional and international community as “a fully sovereign state”, Mr Al Sudani said last week during a visit by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to mark the end of Unami's mission.
Iraq is now supported by “strong constitutional institutions and armed forces” capable of ensuring the country’s security, Mr Al Sudani said in a joint statement with Mr Guterres.
Mr Al Sudani said his country “highly values” the mission's work in a region “that has suffered for decades from dictatorship, wars, and terrorism”.
He said its conclusion showed that Iraq had reached a stage of “full self-reliance”.
“Iraq emerged victorious thanks to the sacrifices and courage of its people,” he said.
Mr Guterres said Iraq “is now a normal country, and relations between the UN and Iraq will become normal relations with the end of Unami”.
He expressed appreciation for Iraq's commitment to returning its citizens from the sprawling Al Hol camp in north-eastern Syria housing thousands of people – mostly women and children – with alleged ties to ISIS.
“Iraqis have worked to overcome decades of violence, oppression, war, terrorism, sectarianism and foreign interference,” Mr Guterres said. “And today’s Iraq is unrecognisable from those times.”
