Security Council extends mandate of UN mission for Iraq

United Nations, May 31 (IANS) The UN Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for another year until May 31, 2024, while retaining its core tasks.

Resolution 2682, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member Security Council, requested that the UN Secretary-General’s special representative for Iraq and UNAMI prioritiSe the provision of advice, support and assistance to the government and people of Iraq on advancing inclusive, political dialogue and national and community-level reconciliation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Council also requested the special representative and UNAMI to further advise and assist the government of Iraq in strengthening electoral preparation and processes to ensure free and fair elections.

Meanwhile, the Security Council requested the special representative and UNAMI to promote, support and facilitate, in coordination with the Iraqi government, the timely, voluntary and dignified return or local integration of internally displaced persons and displaced Iraqis in Syria.

The resolution further requested the UN secretary-general to conduct and provide the Security Council, no later than March 31, 2024, with an independent strategic review of UNAMI, in consultation with the Iraqi government and other sides, assessing current threats to Iraq’s peace and security, as well as the continued relevance of UNAMI’s tasks and priorities.

UNAMI is a political mission established by the Security Council in 2003 at the request of the Iraqi government in the wake of the invasion of by a US-led coalition.