June 5, 2024
Thank you Mr. President.
I would like to join others to congratulate Mozambique for their successful presidency on the difficult month of May. Also, we are very much looking forward to working with our closest neighbor country, Republic of Korea, for the productive month of June under its presidency. Let us assure our full support.
Mr. President,
I thank Ms. Ana Peyró Llopis, Acting Special Adviser and Head of the UNITAD for her briefing, and I welcome the Representative of Iraq to this meeting.
Through its resolution 2697 (2023), the Security Council decided to extend the mandate of UNITAD until 17 September 2024 only. We recall that its closure by upcoming September is in line with the request by the host country, Iraq.
We took note of the progress made in consolidation and delivery of the investigative results that was highlighted in the report of the Acting Special Adviser. Among its six field-based and two thematic investigative lines, it is unfortunate to see that some of them will have to remain incomplete due to the conclusion of the mandate or the need of prioritization. That being said, we commend the work of the UNITAD since its last mandate renewal. We understand that UNITAD has striven to finalize the investigative results to deliver to the competent Iraqi authority as much as possible in a much shorter period of time than previously expected.
It is encouraging to learn that the drawdown and liquidation process of UNITAD is steadily proceeding and that the Team has been committed to transparent planning and more active engagement with the Government of Iraq. In particular, the deepening understanding between the Government and UNITAD on the handling of evidence and other materials is a positive development. We hope this will continue until the Team’s closure.
Since its establishment in 2017, UNITAD has greatly contributed to ensuring accountability for crimes committed by ISIL. As the closing date for UNITAD is approaching, its legacy that serves this purpose needs to be properly preserved and carried forward. The Team has been rigorously engaged in collecting the copies of the original evidence and other materials which may be used for legal procedures in the future. Therefore, it is important to discuss the modality of this archive thoroughly among stakeholders. We too are ready to engage constructively in the discussions.
To conclude, Mr. President, recalling the contributions the Team has also made to the healing of survivors, families, and impacted communities, we would like to extend our great appreciation to the dedication UNITAD has shown throughout its mandate.
I thank you.