“National elections have gone well over seven months ago and many deadlines for forming a government have been missed,” said Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council.
Included Necessary
She points out that while political leaders support the concept of dialogue, the necessary willingness to compromise is not.
Noting that notorious aspects of Iraqi political life are repeating themselves in “a seemingly endless loop of zero-sum politics,” said Hennis-Plasschaert, who also heads the United Nations Aid Mission. United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) – said that Iraqis continue to wait for “a political class that will roll up its sleeves to the country’s long list of prominent domestic priorities”.
These include providing full services to all citizens and ending rampant corruption, sectarianism and looting of State institutions.
Accountability is key
The UNAMI head also stressed the importance of diversifying the economy and implementing much-needed reforms.
Furthermore, she argues that predictive governance is needed instead of ongoing crisis management, emphasizing that accountability should be a key feature of the State.
While asserting the power of the State, Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert stressed that it is important to restrain armed actors that are not part of the State.
“The neglect of the most basic needs of the people has gone on for too long‘ she emphasized.
Sinjar deal still pending
Switch to The Sinjar Agreementsigned in October 2020 by the Federal Government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil, she describes it as being seen by many as “a ray of hope: a first but important step in the right direction”.
While the deal could lead to a new chapter for Sinjar, it needs a stable security and governance structure first, she pointed out.
Despite calls for swift implementation, the UN official said that “obviously, the opposite is true”.
“To date, there is no agreement on the selection of a new independent mayor, and funds for the new local security force remain frozen, possibly due to interference in dubious recruitment procedures.” .
Clashes have flared up again in recent weeks, forcing the Sinjari families again to pack up and make their way back to Kurdistan to seek shelter, she noted.
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert emphasized that the safety and security of the Sinjari families should always be first and foremost, as “they deserve peace under the control of the State.”“.
Promoting political will
The UNAMI head concluded once again emphasizing the importance of overcoming the political deadlock.
“Significant domestic vulnerabilities are being compounded by the continued impacts of the pandemic and global geopolitical tensions,” she said.
“The sincere, collective and urgent will to resolve political differences must now prevail – it must prevail for the country to move forward and meet the needs of its citizens”.
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