UNAMI (Iraq): Statement During Briefing

Thank you Mr. President,

I thank SRSG Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Ms. Amal Kabashi for their briefings. We take note of the Secretary General's report on the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and on the Iraqi elections.

Mr. President,

The world-over including in established democracies, national election processes, often heighten political tension and acrimony, uncertainty and even violent confrontations. These can be more pronounced in nascent democracies and countries emerging from conflict such as Iraq.

Kenya applauds the people and the Government of Iraq for the successful holding of the parliamentary elections which reaffirmed their strong commitment to the fundamental democratic principle that vests the authority of government in the will of the people as the best hope for political, economic, and social progress.

We commend the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) for conducting the Parliamentary elections on October 10th, 2021 and laud UNAMI for its critical constructive advice and technical assistance.

We further acknowledge the essential role played by the Iraqi Security agencies noting that the elections were held in a challenging security environment.

Kenya notes with satisfaction the significant rise in, and promotion of the participation of women in the election process, exceeding the targeted twenty five percent quota. This is a demonstration of the appreciation by the Iraqi electorate of the paramount role that women play in the pursuit of security, political stability and the wellbeing of all.

We urge all political parties, candidates, and other stakeholders, to demonstrate political maturity by submitting any electoral grievances including claims of electoral fraud to the established legal frameworks in accordance with the Code of Conduct of the electoral process for redress.

We further call on the parties to accept the election results once legal processes are completed and engage in constructive dialogue in order to build an inclusive governance system that delivers for all Iraqis regardless of their religious, ethnic, cultural or social backgrounds. The Government should remain conscious of the imperative to pay special attention to the vulnerable groups especially women, children, youth and marginalized groups including minority ethnic and religious communities.

Mr. President,

It is unfortunate that the implementation of the Federal Budget Law remains stalled. Kenya encourages the parties to recall the earlier positive momentum and urge the parties to build trust which will contribute to shaping strong relations for future prosperity.

On the security situation, Kenya condemns the continued attacks by ISIL in several Governates and against the Iraqi security forces. It is deeply alarming that there have already been one hundred and fifty-seven (157) attacks carried out by ISIL between August and October. We call for coordinated regional and international support in a manner that promotes the security and stability of Iraq through cooperative bilateral and multilateral approaches.

Kenya condemns in the strongest terms the assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on November 7th as well as the targeting of UNAMI and Independent High Electoral Comission officials. These atrocious actions should be expeditiously investigated and those culpable brought to justice expeditiously.

On the positive regional developments, Kenya commends Iraq for successfully convening the "Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership" in addressing common challenges faced by the region. It is our experience that the active positive engagement of neighbouring, and nearby, countries, particularly acting in a coordinated manner, is key to resolving difficult political and security crises.

Mr. President,

Kenya takes note of the commendable progress made in the identification of a third country national from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia whose family can now have closure. We encourage continued dedicated cooperation and look forward to further progress on this file.

This finally leads me to the humanitarian situation. The facilitation of returns to areas of origin is a welcome development. We continue to encourage continued repatriation of refugees from the Al-Hol camp to enable their return to normalcy.

In closing, Kenya reiterates its call for all actors to uphold the political independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and that all actions should be motivated by the interests of the Iraqi people. We further reaffirm our support for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) in its assistance to the Government and people of Iraq.

I thank you.