"IRAQ"

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, today (30 May) said it was “vital” that recent diplomatic moves in Syria “are matched with real action,” as the Syrian people “continue to suffer on massive scale.” UNIFEED

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, told the Security Council that any government in this position needs time, “and that, in itself, is already a challenge”, as “the harsh reality is that there is no time to lose.” UNIFEED

Special Representative for Iraq and head of UNAMI Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert will brief on recent developments in Iraq and the Secretary-General's reports on UNAMI and the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-party nationals and missing Kuwaiti property. 

The number of conflict-related deaths between 2020 and 2021 increased worldwide by 46 percent, largely due to increasing violence in Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. UNTV CH

A group of activists from the Arab region participating in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York warned about a deterioration of the women’s situation in their countries. UNIFEED

Visiting Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Secretary-General António Guterres today said both there and in Baghdad, he had sensed “a genuine commitment to move forward” and urged all “to translate this commitment into reality.” UNAMI

Secretary-General António Guterres praised Iraq for repatriating its citizens from camps in northeast Syria holding people suspected of having ties to ISIL extremists, urging other governments to “significantly step up their efforts.” UNAMI

UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored “the United Nations’ abiding commitment to support the Iraqis in advancing peace, sustainable development and human rights for all the people of Iraq.” UNAMI