UN Security Council extends mandate of UNAMI in Iraq

 

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) for another year.

In the resolution, expressing deep gratitude to all the United Nations staff in Iraq for their courageous and tireless efforts, the 15-nation Council decided “to extend the mandate of UNAMI until July 31, 2015.”

The Security Council “recognizes that security of United Nations personnel is essential for UNAMI to carry out its work for the benefit of the people of Iraq and calls upon the government of Iraq to continue to provide security and logistical support to the United Nations presence in Iraq,” said the resolution.

The Council further called upon UN member states to continue to provide UNAMI with sufficient resources and support, the resolution said.

In the resolution, the Security Council also expressed “grave concern at the current security situation in Iraq as a result of a large-scale offensive carried out by terrorist groups, in particular the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and associated armed groups.”

Noting that the advance of ISIL on Iraq’s sovereign territory is a major threat to Iraq’s future, the Council stressed “the long- term solution to the instability will require the political leadership of Iraq to make decisions that will unite the country” and emphasized “the importance of the international community supporting Iraq in this regard.”

Recently, the armed group known as ISIL has taken control of more than a third of the Iraq’s territory after unleashing a wave of attacks that has taken thousands of lives and displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to UN.

Last week, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq and head of UNAMI, called on the Security Council to demand that the Islamist forces cease all hostilities and to ensure that those responsible for horrific terrorist acts are held to account.

Established in 2003, UNAMI is mandated to advise and assist the government and people of Iraq on a number of fronts. This includes advancing inclusive, political dialogue and national reconciliation, assisting in the electoral process and in the planning for a national census, facilitating regional dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors, and promoting the protection of human rights and judicial and legal reform. /End/