Security Council briefed on UN engagement and counter-terrorism efforts in Iraq

Ms. Coninsx briefing the Security Council.

In a briefing on the UN engagement and counter-terrorism efforts in Iraq, the Security Council on 30 May 2018 heard statements by Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) Ján Kubiš, Under-Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov, and Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Michèle Coninsx. This was the first briefing by all three principals following the joint high-level consultations by CTED and UNOCT with Iraq, undertaken in close coordination with UNAMI, in March 2018.

In her remarks, Ms. Coninsx mentioned the excellent collaboration between the two entities, and stressed that the recent visit directly responded to the call for strengthened coordination between the two entities, as expressed by the Council in its resolution 2395 from December 2017. She also referenced the counter-terrorism assessment of Iraq, concluded by CTED on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Committee already in September 2015 and which included identifying priority technical assistance needs, formulated in collaboration with CTED’s partner organizations and adopted in accordance with their best codes and practices. These technical assistance needs were endorsed by the Government of Iraq in March 2016, and eventually adopted by the Committee, which recommended 16 priority areas, including legal and judicial matters, counter-financing, law enforcement and border management, and countering violent extremism (CVE).

“This joint visit was certainly historic in its approach, and I firmly hope that it will also be historic in terms of its results and impact, and that we thereby honour all the victims of the past in Iraq and avoid future victims in Iraq and in the rest of the world,” Ms. Coninsx concluded.

Ms. Coninsx’ statement is available here.

The statements by USGs Kubiš and Voronkov can be accessed here.

For the United Nations’ complete meetings coverage, follow this link.

The webcast of the 8271st Security Council meeting, regarding the Eighteenth report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 4 of Security Council resolution 2107 (2013) (S/2018/353), is available here.