In an interview with UN NewsMr. Mohamed Al Hassan, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and MANUI The leader said the end of the mission reflects how far Iraq has come since its founding in 2003, as the country emerged from decades of dictatorship, regional wars and terror brought on by ISIL – more widely known in the Middle East as Daesh.

“When UNAMI started, Iraq was a very different place than it is today,” he said. UN News. Just a few days after the mission began, in August 2003, The UN under attack at its headquarters in Baghdad, leaving 22 dead and more than 100 injured among its employees.

Today, a new era is dawning: “Thanks to the sacrifices of Iraqis above all, and with international support, particularly that of the United Nations, Iraq believes that it is ready to move on to another phase, consolidating its sovereignty and territorial integrity. I wholeheartedly believe that Iraq is ready for this.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will travel to Baghdad to join Iraqis and the diplomatic community in marking the closure of the mission – an event he called a clear signal that it is “mission accomplished.”

Democratic progress

Mr Al Hassan said recent political developments in Iraq underline how dramatically the country has stabilized.

The parliamentary elections held in November, supported by UNAMI, were widely considered among the most credible to date. With a turnout of 56 percent, they also demonstrated renewed public engagement.

“These were the most fair, free and peaceful elections,” he said. “When you see such a fair and democratic election, you know it’s a belief in a new Iraq.”

Over the years, UNAMI has provided essential support in a wide range of areas: advising the government on political stabilization, promoting an inclusive national dialogue, and supporting community-level reconciliation in conflict-affected areas.

He also played a central role in electoral assistance, helping Iraq organize several rounds of local and national elections.

Security turnaround

Among UNAMI’s most important legacies, Mr. Al Hassan said, is the dramatic improvement in security. He noted that Iraq “would have had no way of defeating Daesh without the help of the United Nations and the international community,” but stressed that it was ultimately the courage and resilience of Iraqis that reversed the extremist group’s advances.

The country is still feeling the long-term effects of the conflict. Around a million Iraqis remain internally displaced, including more than 100,000 Yazidis still living in camps after unimaginable suffering at the hands of ISIS.

Many still cannot return home, especially to the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar, due to destroyed infrastructure and unresolved security concerns.

“I hope they will have the time, resources and support to return to the homes from which they were taken,” he said. “It’s about time.”

A gender perspective

Promoting women’s rights is an integral part of UNAMI’s mandate, and Mr. Al Hassan said Iraq must continue this work long after the Mission leaves.

“Yes, Iraq today is much better than before when it comes to women’s rights,” he said. “But violence against women has unfortunately increased.”

He stressed that sustainable progress must come from within. “We want Iraqis to sponsor and defend women’s rights – through Iraqi law, Iraqi protection and Iraqi legislation,” he said. “At the end of the day, it is about the protection of their own people,” Mr Al Hassan added.

One of the main pillars of UNAMI’s mandate has been the promotion of human rights, including support for judicial and legal reforms, the protection of vulnerable communities and the promotion of the rights of women and minorities.

These responsibilities shaped the work of the Mission until its planned closure in December 2025.

As Iraq prepares to take its seat at the UN Human Rights Councilhe said, the country “must act as such”, guaranteeing full protection to women, young people and minorities and safeguarding freedom of expression.

UN presence remains in Iraq

Even though the political mission will end, Mr. Al Hassan stressed that the broader footprint of the UN will remain unchanged.

“People confuse UNAMI and the United Nations,” he said. “All specialized agencies – UNICEF, WHO, IOM, UNDPand many others – will remain in Iraq. Even the World Bank and IMF open new offices.

With large oil reserves and a large GDP, Iraq is not looking for aid, he stressed. “Iraq does not need charity; it needs the support and friendship of the international community.”

“Success story” in a troubled region

Calling Iraq a “success story” and a “unique country”, Al Hassan urged the international community to give Iraq the space and support it needs to succeed.

“My message to the international community and neighboring countries is to give Iraq a chance to prove that it is worthy of the freedom for which Iraqis have paid a very heavy price. »

The departure of UNAMI does not mark the end of the Iraq-UN partnership.

“I have no doubt that the Iraqis have turned the page and unveiled a magnificent new page that will put their country in a better position than before,” Mr. Al Hassan said.

According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, when Palestinian armed groups attacked communities in southern Israel, triggering a large-scale military attack by Israel on the enclave.

The OHCHR said 94 percent of Gaza’s hospitals were damaged or destroyed, leaving pregnant women and newborns without essential care.

“The Israeli blockade also prevented the entry of items essential to civilian survival, including medical supplies and nutrients necessary for maintaining a pregnancy and safe delivery,” the Office said.

By the end of 2024, women in Gaza were three times more likely to die in childbirth and three times more likely to miscarry compared to pre-war levels.while newborn deaths have also increased, OHCHR reported.

Hospitals destroyed, medical staff killed

Israeli strikes hit maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units, while the December 2023 bombing of Gaza’s largest fertility clinic resulted in the loss of more than 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm and egg specimens.

Medical personnel were also targeted, OHCHR said, citing figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry. 1,722 health workers killed from September 2025.

Dr Ambereen Sleemi, a volunteer gynecologist in Gaza, told OHCHR: “As we were doing our rounds, bombs were going off in the background… Sometimes quadcopters would come in and try to shoot nurses or literally chase them through the hospital corridors. »

She said the pregnant women arrived with gunshot wounds, including to the abdomen.

“Many women were simply too injured to survive. If their injuries did not take their lives, sepsis often did, because there were not enough medical supplies or antibiotics.

hunger factor

The blockade has led to severe shortages of food and infant formula. Since October 2025, 463 Palestinians died of malnutrition, including 157 childrenreported the Ministry of Health.

Jonathan Crix of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), speaking from Gaza, told UN News that children and families enduring winter storms in makeshift tents:

“Everything was completely wet…the mattresses were wet, the children’s clothes were wet. It’s extremely difficult to live in these conditions.”

He warned of a surge in acute watery diarrhea and fears of new outbreaks.

“With the very poor hygienic conditions and very limited sanitation system available, we are extremely concerned about the spread of waterborne diseases.»

Barriers in the West Bank are growing

The OHCHR was also alarmed by Israel’s construction of a new barrier and a new road in the Jordan Valley.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the office in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that this “separate Palestinian communities from each other and Palestinian farmers in Tubas from the land they own on the other side of the planned barrier.

He also warned that this would constitute “a new step towards the progressive fragmentation of the West Bank, which would ultimately lead to the consolidation of annexation”, stressing that this Palestinian refugee rights “cannot be removed or modified by unilateral coercive measures.”

The essential elements for survival in the town invaded by paramilitary fighters in October were “completely erased”UN humanitarian workers warned on Friday.

“What little is known at this time about the current conditions in El Fasher is indeed beyond horrific,” said Ross Smith, director of emergency preparedness and response at the World Food Program (PAM). “We know that between 70 and 100,000 people could be stuck inside the city itself.”

Fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at war with the Sudanese army since April 2023, invaded El Fasher – the regional capital of North Darfur – in October, after a 500-day siege.

The ordeal was reducing people to eating peanut shells and animal food, the U.N. human rights office warned at the time, while satellite images showed bloodstains from massacres of civilians and executions based on ethnicity.

Access agreement

Guaranteeing access for humanitarian teams remains an urgent priority, humanitarian agencies insist, amid network outages that have largely cut off communication with those remaining in El Fasher.

Testimonies from survivors “describe the city as a crime scene with massacres, burned bodies, abandoned markets,” Smith said.

“We are asking and we continue to ask for unhindered access to El Fasher to urgently respond to those who remain stuck in the city,” stressed the WFP official.

“I understand from yesterday’s discussions that we have an agreement in principle with the Rapid Support Forces on a set of minimum conditions for entering the city; so we anticipate being able to do that very soon, to do some initial assessments and reconnaissance. After more than a year and a half of siege, the essential elements for survival have been completely wiped out.”

Desert town becomes ‘huge’ displaced persons camp

Mr Smith noted that those who managed to flee El Fasher risked their lives along roads “littered with mines” and unexploded ordnance.

Many have found refuge in Tawila – until recently a small desert town but now “a sprawling, massive displacement camp” for more than 650,000 people, equivalent to the size of Luxembourg. Others sought refuge in Ad Dabbah in the Northern State.

As humanitarian teams and UN partners continue to push for access to all those in need, WFP-supported convoys are “now on their way to Tawila, with enough room for 700,000 people for the next month”, Smith said.

“These are families who have endured many months of starvation and mass atrocities and are now living in overcrowded conditions with very limited support. There is not enough shelter for people, many are living in makeshift structures: structures made of grass, straw, etc. Cholera and epidemics are widespread.”

12 million people displaced

Sudan has the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 12 million people uprooted inside and outside the country.

Meanwhile, a worrying situation update from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCRconfirmed on Friday that the security situation in neighboring Kordofan has further deteriorated since December 1.

After a week of heavy fighting, the RSF reportedly took control of a Sudanese armed forces base in Babanusa, West Kordofan.

In Southern Kordofan, “civilians remain trapped in besieged towns such as Kadugli and Dilling, and while women, children and the elderly find ways to escape, men and youth are often left behind due to the specific high risks they face along escape routes, such as detention by armed groups due to their suspected affiliation with parties to the conflict,” UNHCR said.

The latest data shows more than 40,000 people displaced from North Kordofan since November 18. “UNHCR, through its partners on the ground, is responding to the urgent needs of displaced people, but access remains difficult and resources are extremely low,” the statement said.