United Nations: Iraq is steadily moving toward greater stability, and UN cooperation is shifting toward a focus on development.
Al-Gisr – Exclusive
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iraq affirmed that, with the conclusion of the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), the UN presence in the country is “shifting from a mission- and politics-oriented approach toward a stronger focus on development.”
Ghulam Mohammad Isaczai, the UN Resident Coordinator in Iraq, explained that this shift aims to “support Iraq’s social and economic needs, as well as to build on the substantial work accomplished over the past two decades, preserve these gains, and continue supporting Iraq’s institutions.”
He made these remarks during a press conference held at UN Headquarters in New York yesterday, Wednesday, where he also referred to Iraq’s signing of a five-year UN Cooperation Framework.
He added that the framework focuses on key pillars, including economic growth, social services, environmental protection and climate change action, governance, and the rule of law.
Isaczai noted that there are positive indications that Iraq will contribute to financing the implementation of the new cooperation framework, adding that “this reflects growing partnership and responsibility on the part of the Iraqi government, and its aspiration to become a donor after having been a recipient of humanitarian and development assistance for many years.”
The Resident Coordinator and UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq said that the country has changed significantly over the past two decades, noting that “Iraq enjoys growing confidence in its institutions and its regional standing, and is steadily moving toward greater stability.”
He cited several examples, including a decline in poverty from 20% in 2018 to 17.5% in 2025, adding that preliminary reports also suggest that Iraq’s Human Development Index may have reached a level qualifying it to be classified as a country with high human development.
He said that another major achievement was Iraq’s successful conduct of its sixth parliamentary elections on November 11 last year, explaining that the United Nations played a significant technical role in supporting the Independent High Electoral Commission.
The UN official also noted that the improvement in the security situation has enabled the return of five million internally displaced persons.
He explained that around 100,000 displaced people—most of them from the Yazidi minority—are still living in camps in the Kurdistan Region.
He added that “most of those who remain in the camps did not do so because of security concerns, but rather due to housing issues, civil identification cards, and other development-related challenges.”
Isaczai also praised Iraq’s role in repatriating its nationals from northeast Syria, noting that 23,000 people have been successfully returned to Iraq.
He added that the United Nations is closely involved in the process of repatriating these Iraqi citizens, recalling that “this issue has become increasingly complex at the global level.”
