UN Security Update on Iraq

Episode Transcript
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Thank you for listening to Pictures MediaRadio. Who Yes, Good morning.

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The nine thousand, four hundred andninety third Meeting of the Security Council is
called to order. The provisional agendafor this meeting is Threats to International Peace
and Security. The agenda is adoptedin accordance with Rule thirty seven of the

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Council's Provisional Rules of Procedure. Iinvite the Representative of Iraq to participate in
this meeting. It is so decided, in accordance with Rule thirty nine of
the Council's Provisional Rules Procedure, Iinvite mister Christian Richer, a Special Advisor

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and head of the Investigative Team establishedpursuant to Security Council Resolution twenty three seventeen
nine, to participate in this meeting. It is so decided the Security Council
will now begin its consideration of Itemtwo of the agenda. I now give

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the floor to mister Christian Richer,Mister President, Distinguished Members of the Security

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Council, I am pleased to presentthe eleventh report of the United Nations Investigative
Team to promote accountability for the crimescommitted by dish isl UNITAT. This report
and my update to you today includesignificant milestones in the work of the team
and comes at a critical juncture ofthe team itself and its future directions.

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As a priority. UNITAT remains committedto delivering on its core mandated task as
stipulated in Resolution twenty three seventeen nineof twenty seventeen, conducted in line with
the terms of reference. The teamhas equally taken steps since September to implement
Resolution twenty six ninety seven of twentytwenty three, which extends the mandate of

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UNITAT until seventeen September twenty twenty fouronly and requests it to fulfill additional tasks
towards the implementation of both resolutions.Over the past weeks, I have been
working closely with our counterparts in theGovernment of Iraq on this and wish to

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take a moment to specifically acknowledge thetime, thought and effort they have dedicated
in this regard, their continued supportof our work and the constructive consultations we
have started to follow up of Resolutiontwenty six ninety seven. This was apparent
during a number of my meetings,particularly with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister

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of Foreign Affairs, with the NationalSecurity Advisor and the chair of the National
Coordinating Committee. I have also hadthe opportunity to speak with counterparts in the
Kurdistan Regional Government KRG, who havebeen equally supportive and forthcoming in their views.

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In these meetings and elsewhere, Ihave sought to underline how UNITAT has
adjusted its priorities against the backdrop ofthese two resolutions and articulate the concerns the
team has for its work based onthe current timeline ahead of it. One
such prior has been to ensure thatour investigations conclude in a deliberate and orderly

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manner, so that a body ofmeaningful outputs produced by the team can be
used effectively to serve international criminal investigationsand proceedings, both in Iraq and beyond.
To this end, during this reportingperiod, the TIME finalized and shared
a comprehensive case assessment report on thedevelopment and use of chemical weapons by ISL

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with the Iraqi Judiciary. This includesextensive investigative findings based on three years of
dedicated fieldwork. This report is amilestone in our pioneering line of investigations that
examines how ISL developed and deployed chemicalweapons in Iraq, including against the Shia
Turkmen minority in the town of TazaKurmatu. Furthermore, the team published a

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comprehensive assessment detailing the heinous crimes ofsexual violence perpetrated by ISEL during their brutal
reign. The report was published yesterdayand highlights the extensive nature of these acts
against Iraqi women and girls from allaffected communities. This company's case assessments shared

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previously with Iraqi judicial counterparts, focusedon ISIL's financing network, and those are
the forthcoming from other investigations, notablythe crimes committed against the Zidi and Christian
communities, the attack on Baduche prison, and the massacre of unarmed military personnel
and cadets at the Grid Air academyknown as Camp Spiker. It is important

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to underline that when these assessments areshared, they are delivered in line with
our mandate and the terms of reference. More broadly, investigative resources of the
team have been shifted to expedite lessadvanced investigations and their planned outputs. I
have aimed to underline this shift inour investigative strategy to my counterparts in Iraq

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and I formerly shared a list ofexpected investigative reports over the coming months.
However, it is important to keepin mind that despite a shift of resources
and intensifying our efforts, it willlikely be the case that by September twenty
twenty four, the team will notbe able to deliver final outputs on all
lines of inquiry it has initiated,but will only be able to deliver preliminary

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findings for those lines of investigations ratherthan comprehensive reports. Further, the team
will also be deprioritizing but cannot becompleted within one year. This includes some
key but complex investigations such as thecrimes committed by Isel and Mosul, ISL's
destruction of cultural heritage, the pillagingof oil and other natural resources in Iraq

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by Isl, the question of Isol'sgenocidal intent against the Shea community, and
the team's work on alcohol Returrannees,a file that is expected to need years
of work in Iraq and elsewhere.Most probably, none of the outputs of
these different investigative lines will be designedto be an end outcome, Mister President,

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distinguished delegates, I highlighted during myprevious briefing in June. How the
work of the team should not justestablish a record of international crimes committed by
ISEL, but must be used tohold ISEL members who committed such crimes to
account through evidence based trials and beforecompetent courts in Iraq as well as in

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third states. A practical example servingthis purpose is what UNIT has been doing
based on its investigative work. Throughthe team's cooperation with the Iraqi judiciary to
develop joint case files of alleged ISELperpetrators in third states. During the reporting
period, the first such joint casefile was developed and shared with the concerned

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third state. This supported investigations intoan alleged ISLE perpetrator for international crimes committed
in Iraq and ultimately helped lead tothe arrest of this suspect. The team
intends to carry forward with this jointmodality as it represents a framework through which
the Team and Iraq can meaningfully andclosely cooperate, share information, and put

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to use their respective evidence and knowledgeto hold ISL members accountable for their international
crimes. In parallel, UNITAT remainscommitted to supporting Iraq establish a legal basic
domestically to investigate and prosecute international crimes. During the reporting period, the team

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worked hand in hand with Iraqi counterpartsthrough this Iraq led process and provided a
series of technical commands on a proposeddraft legislation and its alignment with international law
and customary law. Just in Septemberof this year, unitat AG organized a
workshop for Iraqi lawmakers and legal expertswhich was hosted by the Iraqi Council of

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Representatives. Two prominent international law expertspresented and discussed with national stakeholders details regarding
the needed legal framework and principles relevantto this process of our domestication of international
criminal law in Iraq. The establishmentof such a legal basis for international crimes
would open new horizons for Iraq asit paves the way for trials against isle

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perpetrators on such charges with a participationof Iraqi victims and witnesses. This is
not only what UNITAD is meant tosupport, but also the main demand of
victim and survivor communities in Iraq tosee their day in court. Mister President,
Distinguished Delegates, the work of theteam is not only about investigations but

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also about evidence management. One ofour priorities in this regard during the reporting
period heald been to position our evidencecollection, preservation and management capabilities to support
what will be agreed in light ofthe upcoming report of the Secretary General and
the road map which UNITAT will developin consultation with the Government of Iraq as
requested in Resolution twenty six ninety seven. UNITAT holdings currently contain thirty nine terabytes

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of information that has been collected overthe last five years from a diverse range
of sources. A substantial amount ofdata this includes records collected from Iraqi authorities
which is the vast majority, fromcivil society organizations and open sources, as
well as statements and other materials collectedfrom individuals in Iraq, mostly witnesses.

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A large majority of this reservoir ofevidence has been processed onto the electronic discovery
platform of the team and is accesseddaily by its investigators, lawyers and analysts
for their work. This data hasbeen collected by the team, however,
has yet to be processed into thisplatform. During the reporting period, additional

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evidence was added to these holdings,notably through cooperation with the Iraqi Judiciary in
the area of digital forensics, digitizationand archiving, as well as forensic data
obtained through the excavation of a dozenof new mass graves in support of the
Iraqi Mass Grave Directorate and Medical LegalDirectorate. What will happen with these holdings

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and how it can be shared withIraq remains at the heart of Resolution twenty
six ninety seven. The team looksforward to further guidance to this end in
the upcoming report of the Secretary Generalnext month and intents to further develop the
roadmap and consultation with the Government ofIraq based on this. During those consultations,

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the team stands ready to articulate thecore principles that have guided its evidence
collections to and respective sharing with counterparts. Unitad adheres to these principles to ensure
the broadest possible use and admissibility ofevidence before national courts and by national investigative
and prosecutorial authorities, has set outin its terms of reference. Over the

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past years, the team has successfullymaintained and managed this reservoir of evidence holdings
and provided support Accordingly, we haveworked on specific requests for assistance to support
specific investigations and shared tailored information inline with the team's mandate. When it
comes to sharing, the team examineswhether requesting national judicial authority has the jurisdiction

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and competence to hold al accountable foracts that may amount to war crimes,
crimes against humanity or genocide. Thisis done on a case by case basis,
and support has been provided when thereis a prospect for international crimes charges
and information proves wider Grant's consent tosuch sharing. Mister President, Distinguished Delegates,

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When I assumed my responsibilities as SpecialAdviser, my firm belief was that
Iraq is the main ally and partnerof UNITAD. This has not changed at
all. The Council knows best thatthe consent of the host government in any
given context is key for a UNmission to conduct its work, but I

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would like to stress that it iseven more crucial for an investigative team with
a unique mandate such as UNITAT.Since the beginning, the team has been
working in Iraq at the request ofits government and in partnership with Iraqi counterparts,
to investigate isol crimes against all affectedcommunities in the country. We have

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conducted our work accordingly with full respectto the sovereignty of Iraq and will continue
to do so. It remains upto Iraq to exercise its sovereign right to
decide on the future of this mission. However, let me stress that a
premature and abrupt ending of UNITAD canonly mean a loss for all those concerned.

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This is why I urge the Governmentof Iraq and the esteemed members of
this Council to give due consideration tothe end state of our mandate more than
the end date. Over the nextweeks and months, I will continue to
work closely with all Iraqi counterparts tofurnish possibilities and present different scenarios. It

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will be up to Iraq to choosean option. We will of course abide
by that choice. While UNITAD wasnever meant to last forever, we all
have a collective responsibility to ensure thatthe work it has done will not be
lost. I was particularly encouraged tohear from the Chair of the National Coordinating

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Committee, Doctor Zaidon khalaf al Atwani, recently, that we are on the
same page. Our shared goal isto ensure that the work of the team
can be used to support accountability effortsin ira and throughout the world. We
also agreed that the capacity building andsupport the team is providing to Iraqi authorities
must not only continue but also intensifyto ensure that national capacities remain sustainable and

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operational over the long term. Thisincludes areas such as digital forensics, evidence
preservation and management, and mass graveexcavations, as well as technical assistance with
the witness to the Witness Protection Departmentwithin the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and trainings
to local angos and the Ministry ofHealth in the area of psychosocial support.

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All this support which UNITAT provides hascontinued to progress during the reporting period.
The team has relentlessly endeavored to betterenable national counterparts to conduct their work independently
and without the involvement of the teamin the future, Mister President, Distinguished
Delegates. One of the most tangibleoutputs of UNITAT is its support to third

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state investigations and prosecutions. This ensuresthat the gap in global accountability does not
expand and further allow impunity to persist. The team has supported two hundred and
nine requests from twenty third states todate, and the demand for this support
has been growing and can only beexpected to grow. Whether with regard to

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isle foreign fighters who have returned totheir countries of origin, isl spouses who
claim they had no idea about Isle'sreign of terror, or perpetrators who have
fled Iraq to seek safe havens abroad. The large number of ISLE perpetrators around
the globe will only fuel this demand. We must not forget that many of
those perpetrators were very young when committingtheir crimes and may face investigation and charges

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for international crimes in the decade tocome. The function that unit had here
fulfills cross checking against its evidence holdings, identifying witnesses, and taking testimony to
support third states is a concrete measureof global accountability by any stretch, and
a monumental step in combating impunity.To a large extent, Investigations and trials

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against ISLE perpetrators who tried to escapejustice would not be possible in these countries
if my team hadn't provided legal assistance. It has always been our goal to
close impunity gaps throughout the world.ISLE perpetrators who committed heinous mass atrocities against
Iraqi citizens must not remain unpunished whereverthey tried to hide. I personally,

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in my former capacity as a federalprosecutor and head of a war crimes unit
in Germany, was glad to benefitfrom the expertise of our responsive investigative team.
UNITAT has always been able to closethe gaps within the chain of proof.
Thus the team significantly contributed to convictionsof Isle defendants throughout the world.

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Let me stress here that I commandthe commitment of Iraq to support our cooperation
with third States with the approval ofthe Chief Justice, Foreign Minister and the
Chair of the National Coordinating Committee.I am pleased to note that an agreed
modality which better outlines the team's evidencesharing the Third States has been concluded for
Resolution twenty six ninety seven. Theteam also worked during the reporting period to

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better communicate to the Government of Iraqwhat previous evidence has been shared with third
States again as per Resolution twenty sixninety seven, and remains engaged with all
relevant counterparts to this end, MisterPresident, distinguished Members of the Security Council,

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let me conclude my remarks with areflection based on my recent engagements facted
communities in Iraq. Those who arethe victims at witnesses of Aisel in its
heinous crimes. They are the oneswho see the work of UNITAT as a
beacon of hope and an opportunity tohave their voices heard, their suffering acknowledged,
and their stories told. They arethe ones demanding that the crimes from

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which they suffered are adjudicated in internationalcrimes as international crimes, whether it concerns
alleged acts of genocide, of warcrimes, or of crimes against humanity.
I was reminded of this during arecent discussion with the father of a Camp
Spiker victim, who founded with otherimpacted families and NGO dedicated to serving justice

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for the beloved ones who are thevictims of that atrocious massacre. I was
reminded of this during a mission toanbar where I stood together with local officials,
tribal leaders, survivors, and civilsociety representatives at the crime scene of
ISIL massacres against Sunnis who refused tobledge allegiance. The completion phase of the

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investigative team should not mean that theirhope for justice and their quest for accountability
dims with it. A meaningful completionof our mandate and an orderly transition must
be a guarantee for them. Wemust ensure that those who had the courage
to speak up against ISEO crimes arenot let down or left behind. We

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must make certain that their security isassured, that they are protected, and
that the trauma they have endured becauseof what they have experienced and seen can
be addressed. And we must ensurethat those who have not spoken up yet
but want to exercise their right tocome forward, can do so of their

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own accord in a safe and welcomingforum. We must keep the common goal
of serving justice for those victims andsurvivors in our heart and mind as we
continue to implement the resolutions of thisesteemed Council and our collective work. Thank

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you kindly for your attention and yourcontinued support the I thank mister Richard for
the information provided. I will nowgive the floor to those Council members who
wish to make statements. I givethe floor to the Representative of the United

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Kingdom. Thank you, President.I would like to thank the Special Advisor
for his latest report and for allof the work of the UNITAD team.
The United Kingdom continues to value unitad'simportant contribution to holding members of Diyosh accountable
for their appalling crimes. We welcomethe progress that UNITAD has made since the

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last briefing. As we've heard ithas concluded two reports on critical issues sexual
violence against women and girls and thedevelopment and use of chemical weapons by DIOSH.
It has delivered eighty field missions anddigitized a further five million records,
and we welcome unitad's important capacity buildingwork, including training on witness protection and

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victim centered approaches to evidence collection,as well as supporting mass grave excavations.
All of this is vital to bringjustice and accountability for victims and survivors,
while supporting the Iraqi government in itsmodernization of judicial processes and of investigatory work.

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We strongly encourage UNITAD and the Governmentof Iraq to find a way forward
for third party evidence sharing, asthis Council requested in Resolution twenty six ninety
seven, which is so critical toensuring members of DIOSH cannot escape impunity by
fleeing abroad. We also encourage UNITADto continue working to improve evidence sharing with

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the Iraqi authorities and to plan forthe future. However, we do recognize
that the sharing of sensitive evidence isnot straightforward, as it is often subject
to, amongst other things, theconsent of witnesses. We hope the upcoming
report of the Secretary General will provideclarity on these matters so that the Council
and Iraq can properly understand what evidencehas been and can be shared, and

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how the Council, UNITAD and theGovernment of Iraq could make further progress on
this. It is critical that theevidence collected by UNITAD continues to be available
for prosecutions of international crimes. President, we all agree here on the importance
of accountability for dish crimes. Weowe that to the victims, as the
Special Advisor has said. For ourpart, the United Kingdom is committed to

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working closely with the Government of Iraqand the United Nations to ensure unitad's unique
work is used effectively both in Iraqand around the world. We are grateful
to the Special Advisor and his teamfor their dedicated efforts in pursuit of accountability,
and we stand with the Government ofIraq in our continued cooperation to deliver
justice for diish atrocities. Thank you, I thank the Representative of the United

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Kingdom. I now give thee flawto the Representative of of Albania. Thank
you, mister President. I expressmy gratitude to Special Advisor Richard for the
comprehensive briefing and I would also liketo emphasize if Albania appreciates unitad's commendable efforts
in Iraq, as articulated in theeleventh Report of the Special Advisor. We

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extend the warm welcome to the Iraqirepresentative participating in today's meeting. In the
phase of persistent threat of terrorism topeace and security, unitad's the pivotal role
in gathering evidence and constructing cases againstDISH and its affiliates. It's crucial Albania

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acknowledges the progress achieved by UNITAD amidsnumerous challenges and resource constraints. Notably,
we applaud the completion of case assessmentreports on gender and sexual crimes against the
Yazidi community and the acquisition of newevidence regarding the development and use of biological
and chemical weapons by DIASH. Thesignificance of the assessment report on the use

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of chemical and chemical and biological weaponsby DIASH cannot be overstated. It marks
a precedent illustrating the alarming extent towhich non state actors can pose real and
unprecedented threats. We also appreciate theadvancement of his investigations, particularly in identifying

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high ranking the DIASH officials and gatheringevidence related to mass murder, enslavement of
women and girls, rape, andother heineous crimes. The completion of case
files and the alignment of names withcommitted crimes bring hope to victims and their
families, assuring them that justice ison the horizon. We wholeheartedly support these

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efforts, while acknowledging the strides made, we recognize that more needs to be
done in identifying perpetrators, collecting evidence, and ensuring that all those responsible for
atrosty crimes in Iraq face justice.We echo the team's assessment that investigations and

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case assessments reports cannot be concluded bySeptember twenty twenty four. Additional resources and
the full engagement of the Iraqi authoritiesare indispensable for the pursuit of justice through
fare and due process. Looking ahead, we anticipate the Secretary General's report and
subsequent recommendations on how to proceed.In alignment with Resolution twenty six ninety seven,

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we urge this Council to act collaborativelywith Iraq in providing ample time and
resources for comprehensive justice to be deliveredfor all crimes. ALBEITIA lends its support
to the enhanced coordination between UNITAD andthe Iraqi authorities, affected communities, civil
society, victims and their families.The team's ongoing engagement with survivors, group,

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civil society and academia is commendable asit amplifies victims voices and contributes to
gathering more evidence. Mister President,in conclusion, I underscore that holding DASH
perpetrators accountable for crimes in Iraq remainsa work in progress. Iraq must receive

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all necessary assistance to end impunity.We call upon this Council to steadfastly support
UNITAD and Iraq in enhancing the legislativeframework for international crimes, capacity building for
victims and survivors, willing to testify, collaboration on mass A Grave excavations,
and the establishment of the centralized Centraljeditized archive. We align with the view

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that team's five years of dedicated workmust culminate in bringing perpetrators of atrocity crimes
to the court of law. Thisis essential for ensuring meaningful justice and preventing
the resurgence of DISH and its affiliatesin Iraq and beyond. In closing,
as this marks our final address onthis topic in the Council. I REI

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ate albiness unwavering commitment to justice andaccountability as the bad rock for lasting peace
and prosperity for the Iraqi people.Thank you, Personer, I thank the
Representative of Albania and now give theflow to the Representative of Ghana. President.

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I wish to thank the Special Adviserfor presenting the eleventh Reports of United
and for the work of the entireUnited team. Garma low comes the progress
made by the team during the periodand the review in pursuit of accountability for
cerous crimes committed by daish Iso.We hold the view that sustaining our commitment

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to the meaningful advancement of justice andaccount stability for all the atrocities committed by
diish Iso is the only way torespond to the legitimate cause by survivors and
victims of ISO's crimes for justice andgenuine national reconciliation. In this regard,
I would like to highlight the followingpoints. First, we applawed United's efforts

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to build on the progress that wasmade in previous reporting periods in advancing investigations
in neatline of enquiry, the preparationand sharing of case assessment reports on the
manufacturing and use of chemical weapons bydishISO, preparation of report on sexual violence
against women and girls committed by diishISO, and the advanced updates the case

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on case assessment reports on crimes committedagainst the Christian community represents significant achievements in
this regard. Unit ARTS commitment toshare their analytical and struct your findings regarding
the very investigations with the Iraqi Judiciaryin the upcoming reporting period is a significant

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next step. We welcome this developmentand trust that the enrichment of evidentiary material
will support domestic investigations and prosecutions andensure that there is no impunity for the
henios international crimes committed by dish Secondly, Gunner applause the continuing poperation between United

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and the Government of Iraq, includingIraqi judicial authorities. We are pleased to
observe that United continue to focus itsefforts on building the capacities of relevant Iraqi
stakeholders through training on digital forensic methodsand support for Mars Grave excavations. Indeed,
thanks to the efforts of United,domestic capacity is being enhanced for the

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investigation and prosecution of crimes committed byDish even as holdings of documentary, testimonial
and digital evidence have been reached insupport of such investigations and prosecutions. Third
we know that the current reports indicatesthe activities being undertaken by UNITED in response
to Resolution twenty six ninety seven.We recognize that United does not only adjusting

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its priorities to meet the mandate request, but has successfully determined modalities for information
sharing with third state and also communicatedto the Iraqi authorities of what previous evidence
had been shared with test dates.In addition, we know that, following
initial discussions with the Government of Iraq, the team plans to focus on preparing

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a roadman for the completion of itmandates and necessary steps for closure in line
with the request of the Government ofIraq. As the team undertakes these steps,
we acknowledge that its work in pursuingjustice will not be completed in a
meaningful way by September twenty twenty four. However, it is important that despite

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the challenges that United proceeds in thenon completion of its work, the team
will endeavor to work with the Governmentof Iraq to ensure that the expectations of
the host government on the future ofthe team are fully met. In this
way, we will be able tomaintain the credibility of the Iraqi people to
take their accountability process forward and alsoin recognition of United's role in this process.

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Mister President, this being the lastshadow briefing on UNITOR before the end
of our present term, allow meto take the opportunity to applaud United for
the milestones it has retorwards the fulfillmentof it mandate to promote accountability for core
crimes committed by daish ISO. Onething is evident the establishment of an international

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investigative team, as in the caseof United, can yield positive results and
offers useful lessons for global accountability.We reiterate our expectations for success in the
common pursuit of justice and accountability.I thank you, I think the Representative

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of Ghana for her statement. Inow give the floor to the Representative of
the Russian Federation Gaspardian. Mister President. The Russian Federation attributes great significance to
the question of countering terrorism and holdingterrorists accountable for their crimes. This is
an integral component of our shared effortsto counter terrorist threats. In this context,

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we scrupulously monitor the activities of theUnited Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability
for crimes committed by dish is Islin Iraq. We note the efforts of
the team in the latest reporting periodin contributing to the evidence holdings of dish
Isol crimes in all areas of theinvestigation, including crimes against national communities,

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the killings into greet to gree andto Crete cinjar, a destruction of cultural
property, as well as financial flowsof ISO and dioesh. We are hardened
by the fact that, at leastthat the seventh year of its work,
the team has finally shared with theIraqi authorities some of the material compiled on
the manufacturing and use by terrorists ofchemical weapons, as well as information about

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sexual violence. We wish to recallthe fact that there are fewer than not
ten months left prior to the completionof the mandate of UNITAD. We are
surprised at the fact that against thisbacktrap, Iraq has only received a paltry
share of what the group has managed, what the team has managed to accumulate,

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and in fact we fail to fullyunderstand why did this Why was this
evidence not consistently provided to the Iraqiauthorities. Why have we only reached this
point now? Le legitimate question arisesfor whom and why then was this evidence
compiled if the Iraqi judiciary system wasnot able to receive this We often hear

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that thanks to the assistance of United, certain individuals are being held to account
in third largely Western countries, butwere singular singular trials held abroad worthy end
goal of the man a date ofUnited. The main objective of United,

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as was set out by the SecurityCouncil, provides for providing assistance to Iraq
first and foremost, and specifically inprosecuting isol representatives. Ambivalence in the question
of handover of evidence accumulated to Baghdadhas resulted in the fact that thousands of
terrorists have not yet been held dulyaccountable. As we understand, much of

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the credit for this unfortunate state ofaffairs lies with the predecessor of the current
Special Advisor, whereas during the tenureof mister Richard we have observed some progress
in the implementation of the core mandateof the investigative team, and mister Khan
has for years openly disregarded this merelymimicking fervent activity as we see. As

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far as we understand, during thisperiod, Iraq have received absolutely nothing from
United or what we would like tonow ask at the Security Council how many
trials were held in Iraq with respectto terrorists on the basis of the evidence
gathered by United Was there even onesuch trial? Well from of course,

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we couldn't expect anything better from theBritish citizen mister Hahn. At his new
workplace, he continues to do thesame, to prioritize and deprioritize certain investigations
based on the desire of his Westernpatrons. We believe that if had the
Investigative Team from the very beginning ofits operations conscientiously complied with the mandate entrusted

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to it to support national efforts oflaw enforcement and judicial bodies in Iraq,
providing with them with full evidence,then the Iraqi judicial system would would have
already completed the process of holding terroriststo account. Seven years is a long
time. Let us recall that thenuremb trials took only one and a half

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years. We demand that all ofthe material, without exception, accumulated by
the investigative team, including in digitizedform, and the relevant analytical findings for
them to be without delay and withoutany preconditions, hand over to the Iraqi
authorities as is stipulated in Resolution twentythree seventy nine, as was reaffirmed in

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Resolution twenty six ninety seven. Letus recall, at the request of the
Government of Iraq, the Security Council, through Resolution twenty six ninety seven,
extended uniteds for only one year untilseventeen September twenty twenty four. This underscores
the need to as effectively as possibleuse the time remaining. Time remaining,

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we trust that United will rigorously stepup its cooperation with Baghdad. We wish
to draw attention to the fact thatthe statement on shortcomings in legislation cannot and
should not be used as a pretextto prevent the implementation of the instructions from
the Security Council. We with alarmjust heard a statement that United will not

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manage to complete its work prior tothe completion of its mandate. We believe
that the Mission should comply with theinstructions of the Council. We value the
report the announcement that, in pursuanceof paragraph five of Resolution twenty six ninety
seven, it was possible to expeditionjust agree with the Iraqi authorities on the

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modalities of transfer of evidence to thirdcountries. We trust that this step will
help to ensure compliance with the needfor securing the consent of Baghdad for such
transfers in the future, and theinformation about the implementation of the other paragraphs

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in the resolution is, in ourview insufficient. At the same time,
there has been virtually no information ona crucial question of the course of the
completion of the activities of the investigativeteam. We expect that these deficiencies will
be fully corrected in the Secretary General'sJanuary Report and the Special Advisor's March roadmap.

(40:49):
We trust that in these documents wewill see detailed descriptions of specific measures
that were already adopted or will beadopted in the remaining ten months of work.
For the expedited transfer of evidence tothe Iraqis and for the draw down
of the activities of Unit Head,there's a need to pay particular attention to

(41:09):
the step by step description of theprocess of this draw down. To conclude,
we wish to stress that now theinvestigative team has a final opportunity to
fulfill the main part of its mandateto finally hand over all the evidence to
the Iraqi authorities. Without this,its mission will hardly be deemed a success.

(41:34):
Thank you, mister President. Ithank the Representative of the Russian Federation
and I get the flow to theRepresentative of Brazil MS. President. I
thank the Special Advisor and Head ofUNITAD Mister Christian Richard for his briefing,
and I welcome the Iraqi delegation tothis meeting. The eleventh Report on the

(41:57):
Activities of UNITAT comes at a criticaljuncture. We are less than a year
away from the expiration of unitaid's latestand possibly final mandated term. The decision
by the Council last September to extendunitaed's mandate for one year, only six
years after Resolution twenty three seventy ninethe term its creation responded to several concerns

(42:21):
indicated by Iraq in its fifth Septemberletter to the Council. The latest mandate
renewal acknowledged the need to advance decisivelyand expeditiously towards the completion of unitaid's score
task to support accountability efforts before Iraqitribunals. Those tribunals, as well as

(42:44):
the people and the government of Iraqcontinued to be the primary intended beneficiaries of
unitad's investigative work. Some of thealleged difficulties in accomplishing that goal within the
allotted time frame could unduly imply thatunitade's role is to supervise and constrain rather

(43:04):
than support, trials in Iraq.Therefore, the development of a roadmap for
the completion of Unitized Mandate expected byMarch next year, it will be essential
to consider that the holding of criminalproceedings in Iraq will surely build upon an
outlive UNITIZED contribution to future trials inthe country. The gist of that contribution

(43:29):
remains the collection and sharing of evidenceof diash crimes in Iraq with Iraq authorities.
Likewise, Brazil trusts that the upcomingSecretary General's recommendations on evidence sharing with
the Government of Iraq. We alsomaximize unitied's chances to deliver and exhaust its

(43:49):
core mandate as determined by the Councilby September twenty twenty four. Bearing in
mind the basis on which Unitized Mandaterests, progress in this direction would strengthen
the existing partnership with the host countryand eventually indicate the importance of continued collaboration
with Iraq based on consent should allparties convert in this direction. As President,

(44:15):
the timely determination of modalities for UNITADSsharing of evidence with third states with
the approval of the Government of Iraqvotes well for the goal of holding DISH
members accountable, including those who fledthe country. This should be done in
a manner that respects Iraqi's sovereignty andjurisdiction over crimes committed in its territory and

(44:38):
against its citizens. Brazil commands theGovernment of Iraq for its constructive engagement with
UNITAD and third states aimed at enablingthe prosecution of suspected criminals abroad who are
otherwise subject to the primary or dominantjurisdiction of Iraq. Finally, we acknowledge

(45:00):
unitad's contribution to strengthening the capacity ofIraqi institutions responsible for the administration of justice
in the country, as far asefforts to promote accountability for diaest crimes.
Following the completion of UNITIDES mandate,capacity building initiatives tailored to local needs could

(45:21):
continue to be provided and pursued bilaterallyupon the request of Iraq by interested countries,
including those who currently offer extra budgetaryfunds to UNITIDES for this purpose.
Thank you, I think the Representativeof Brazil. I now give the flaw

(45:54):
to the Representative of Cabon myth.Thank you for giving me the flaw,
mister President. I also would liketo thank you for organizing this briefing focusing
on the ninth report of the activitiescarried out by the United Nations Investigation Team

(46:20):
UNITAD, tasked withholding Dyesh accountable forcrimes committed in Iraq between twenty fourteen and
twenty seventeen, which fall under theframework of Resolution twenty three seventy nine of
the twenty first of September twenty seventeen. I'd also like to thank mister Christian
Richard for the very detailed information thathe provided on the progress of the investigations

(46:43):
underway under the period under consideration,and I also welcome the Representative of Iraq.
Amongst us, GABAN supports the strategyset up by the Security Council to
prevent the proliferation and use of chemicalweapons and state actors as well as my
terrorist organizations. The accountability. Mechanismsestablished in Iraq and which are based on

(47:08):
criminal justice and the rule of laware essential for the maintenance of international peace
and security. Gabon welcomes the factthat this mechanism makes it possible to promote
the fight against impunity and to guaranteeaccess to justice for the local communities impacted

(47:30):
by war crimes, by crimes againsthumanity and the crimes of genocide committed by
DIESH against the Yazidi people in Iraq. We also welcome the notable progress that
has been made as part of thein depth investigations, as they have progressed
to strengthen the judicial capacity and localjurisdiction of the Kurdish entities. We also

(47:59):
welcome the adoption of Resolution twenty sixninety seven, and we welcome all the
efforts of the team aimed at adjustingthe priorities that will make it possible to
achieve the goals arising from the termsof reference of its mandate. In this
regard close cooperation and the strengthening ofthe capacities of the local judicial authorities.

(48:27):
In particular, the residual tasks mustlead to a rigorous handover of cases to
the Iraqi authorities. Bearing in mindthe deadlines and the importance of the work
that is being done by the specialTeam, the strengthening of the spirit of
mutual cooperation between UNITAD and the memberstates affected by these investigative procedures is particularly

(48:54):
encouraging. That will make it possiblein the long term to have a greater
involvement of the jurisdictions of these countriesin the procedures underway. The stress placed
by the team on the ground onstrengthening cooperation with the Iraqi judicial authorities,

(49:15):
in particular, the support of thestakeholders with regard to the crimes committed by
DASH against the Christian community and thoserelated to the presumed use of chemical and
biological weapons must be maintained until theend of the mission. That is why
the new digital evidence obtained is essentialbecause it makes it possible to clarify the

(49:39):
impact of the comas and biological weaponsattacks committed by DASH against the victims leading
to material and damage to the environment. Gibbon would like to urgently appeal for
a follow up of the measures aimedat facilitating the use and admissibility of the

(50:01):
evidence gathered, gathered and processed andpreserved and passed on by the team on
the ground in order to facilitate theprosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes,
Mister President, the judicious use ofcutting edge technologies, in particular new strategies

(50:22):
aimed at speeding up the scanning anddigitalization of documents aimed at establishing the evidence
throughout the period under consideration, aswell as the technical training of local legal
staff to use these latest tools,is essential. As we begin to address
the end of the mandate of theSpecial Team, a stepping up of the

(50:47):
dialogue in this sensitive context is fundamental, and Gabon hopes that the government in
Baghdad will engage even more in theindispensable corporation needs in order to finalize the
inquiries and strengthen the framework of guidelinesin the Memorandum of understanding. Moreover,
the involvement of civil society remains indispensable, in particular in providing assistance to the

(51:15):
victims of sexual violence as well asto the children that have suffered mistreatment and
abuse as part of their enlistment aschild soldiers. In conclusion, Mister President,
my delegation would like to underscore theurgent need to create conditions that will
provide for restorative justice for the violationsinflicted on the people of Iraq, in

(51:39):
particular the Yazidi communities as part ofthe war crimes and crimes of genocide and
crimes against humanity committed by DIESH.It is essential that we adopt an inclusive
approach, in particular during this finalstage of the process, in order to
maximize is the processing of the informationcollected, which will make it possible to

(52:05):
establish once and for all the facts. Moreover, since it's our last contribution
that we will be making, we'dlike to reconfirm all of our support for
the tireless and remarkable efforts of theteam. Thank you very much, mister
President. I think the Representative ofGabon. I now give the floor to

(52:28):
the Representative of France. Thank you, mister President. I wish to take
this opportunity to congratulate to wish youevery success during your presidency. I think
the Special Advisor for the presentation ofthe eleventh Report on Unit heared. I
welcome the presidence of the Permanent Representativeof Iraq, which illustrates a ROC's commitment

(52:52):
to cooperation with the international community andwith United to ensure that justice be rendered
for all of the victims of thecrams perpertuy by DISH on its territory.
We welcome the work of the entireunit Head team. We renew our support
for their efforts which contribute to counteringimpunity. Mister President. Thanks to the
efforts of United on the Ground,alongside national and local authorities, more progress

(53:16):
has been achieved. New evidence hasbeen gathered on crimes perpetrated by DISH,
specifically crimes perpetrated against various religious communities, but also crimes perpetrated with the use
of chemical weapons. We applaud UnitHead's drafting of a thematic report, a
report dedicated to sexual and gender basedviolence. We also welcome progress on dealing

(53:42):
with crimes committed against children and specificallygirls who some of whom have been pushed
into forced managed marriages or sexual slavery. We applaud the collection of digital data
related to disho's activities online and thecontinued efforts to digitize the necessary elements of
proof for investigations. This progress iscrucial to avoid the loss or deterioration of

(54:05):
evidence, and this should be continued. Elements gathered on diash financing networks are
also crucial. We applaud the effortsunderway with respect to the study focused on
the destruction of cultural heritage. Weemphasize unitad's commitment alongside Iraqi civil society dialogue

(54:27):
with civil societies crucial. This helpsto gather valuable evidence, to progress investigations
and to shed light on the gravitudeand gravity and scope of crimes perpetraed by
thesh I wish to highlight the importanceof cooperation in countering impunity when it comes
to crowns purpetraed by Dish. Inthis regard, we welcomed the enhanced cooperation

(54:50):
between United and the Iraqi government.Actions related to awareness raising about the mandate
of the mechanism are also important.We encourage the Iraqi authorities and UNITAD to
continue their dialogue, including when itcomes to the sharing of evidence with third
states. We will closely study therecommendations that the Secretary General will submit in

(55:10):
January pursuant to Resolution twenty six ninetyseven, Friends calls upon all states to
support unitad's work. We are pleasedand proud to deliver our support to United
through voluntary contributions and technical cooperation inorder to assist the mechanism in its evidence
collection work. There is an importantneed also to recall the steadfast position of

(55:36):
the United Nations visivi non transmission ofelements for judicial proceedings that are liable to
result in sentences of capital punishment,regardless of where this may take place.
We wish to recall that victims shouldremain our main concern. A victim centered
approach as well as gender perspective adoptedby UNITAD in all of its work,
are crucial. Countering impunity for allperpetry of crimes is imperative for stabilization,

(56:02):
recovery and reconciliation of the Iraqi peopleas a whole. For this reason,
France established a joint investigative team withSweden under the aegis of euro Just in
January twenty twenty two, focusing oncrimes perpetuated against the Yazidi people, and
we have been cooperating with United teamsin this regard. Lastly, France reiterates

(56:22):
our commitment to countering terrorism and counteringimmunity. The threat posed by DISH has
not evaporated as is often recalled.Alongside partners, specifically the International Coalition Against
DISH, which will meet tomorrow atthe ministry level in Riad. France will
continue to stand shoulder to shoulder withIraq and the fight against terrorism. Thank

(56:43):
you, Dante Francia, I thinkthe representative of France. I now give
the flow to the Representative of Switzerland, meerc Luncie. Thank you, mister
President. I'd like to thank SpecializerReti and his team for their brief and
I welcome the Representative of Iraq atthe meeting. Switzerland welcomes the continued progress

(57:06):
made during the period under review bythe investigation team to promote accountability for the
crimes committed by DIESH. We alsowould like to command UNITAD and the Iraqi
government for their respective efforts and closecooperation in implementing the provisions of Resolution twenty
six ninety seven. The main objectiveof UNITAD remains entirely valid. Switzerland considers

(57:30):
the following aspects to be key tounitad's mandate and work. Firstly, the
exchange of evidence with third countries,which is an integral part of unitad's mandate,
is important for the prosecution of terrorismrelated crimes worldwide. Switzerland welcomes the
cooperation between UNITAD and the Iraqi governmentin determining the modalities of future evidence sharing

(57:52):
with third countries. At the sametime, it remains essential that this exchange
respect international law and the principles ofthe rule of law. Switzerland is opposed
to the death penalty in all circumstances, as it is incompatible with respect for
human rights and human dignity. Consequently, we oppose the sharing of evidence in

(58:13):
judicial proceedings that could lead to capitalpunishment. Secondly, accountability and justice are
essential pillars for preventing atrocities and buildinglasting peace based on trust. We appreciate
Unit ads ongoing efforts to achieve thisgoal by thoroughly investigating and documenting the many

(58:35):
crimes perpetrated by DISH in Iraq.We particularly value their victims centered approach as
well as their perpetrators centered investigations.The documentation and evaluation of cases of sexual
crimes, particularly against women and girlsfrom my minority communities, is essential to
ensure accountability. In this context,I would like to highlight a report by

(59:00):
the Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate thatwas recently published in partnership with Switzerland.
This report highlights that sexual and genderbased violence, human trafficking, sexual slavery,
and forced marriage are used as weaponsof terror by DIESH. Impunity for
these serious crimes hinders justice for victimsand survivors, and destroys the social fabric.

(59:23):
It is essential to criminalize in nationallegislation international crimes, particularly those related
to sexual and gender based violence.In addition, independent courts are essential to
hold the perpetrators of DESH accountable fortheir crimes. We welcome unitad's collaboration with

(59:44):
the Iraqi authorities and encourage the governmentto adopt such national legislation as soon as
possible. Thirdly, we note theSpecial Adviser's assessment that unitad's mandate will not
be completed to a significant extens dentby September twenty twenty four. Switzerland is
concerned about the risk that certain essentialinvestigations will not be finalized on time,

(01:00:09):
and that requests for mutual assistance fromthe national authorities of third states will go
unanswered. Legal proceedings take time.This reinforces our expectation that the Iraqi government
will ensure that these crimes committed byDASH will continue to be prosecuted in accordance
with international law and the principles ofthe rule of law. Mister President International

(01:00:31):
cooperation is essential to bring the perpetratorsof all the crimes committed to justice.
At the same time, long terminitiatives are needed to bring about reconciliation and
to prevent the recurrence of violence.The work of UNITAD is a key element
in this effort. Thank you,I think the representative of Switzerland. I

(01:00:54):
now give the flaw to the Representativeof the United States. Thank you,
mister President. Thank you Special AdviserRisher for your briefing on unitad's efforts to
ensure accountability for Dyesh's heenous crimes inIraq. I also welcome the Iraqi Ambassador
to this meeting of the Council.After the Security Council heated Iraq's request in

(01:01:19):
twenty seventeen to partner with the UnitedNations to establish UNITAD, the United States
has consistently supported its mission, andwe continue to do so. The United
States welcome the extension of unitad's mandateuntil September twenty twenty four and Iraq's continued
commitment to work with UNITAD. Inkeeping with that mandate, members of the

(01:01:42):
Security Council must continue to assess unitad'sprogress. We must, however, be
clear eyed about the implications of ahasty and premature closure of UNITAD. As
Iraq continues its transition from conflict tostability and prosperity, UNITAD continues excuse me.

(01:02:04):
UNITAD continues to provide support to Iraqiauthorities by building the capacity of the
Iraqi judicial system, facilitating mass graveexhumations, collecting evidence, engaging victims,
families and survivors, and conducting analysisof battlefield evidence to help identify perpetrators of
atrocities. The work that UNITAD isdoing is critical to holding members of ISIS

(01:02:28):
accountable for genocide against Yazides, Christians, and Shia Muslims, and for crimes
against humanity directed at these same groups, and in some cases also against Sunni
Muslims, Kurds and other minorities.After nearly ten years, these communities continued
to yearn for justice. We acknowledgethe Government of Iraq's desire for UNITAD to

(01:02:51):
share additional evidence that it has collectedfor use by the Iraqi judicial system,
and unitad's efforts with the Government ofIraq to make this possible. To that
end, we look forward to theSecretary General's report outlining specific actions UNITAD and
Iraq can agree on to ensure suchevidence sharing takes place. In the meantime,

(01:03:14):
we understand there was both an analyticalreport on sexual violence against women and
girls and an assessment report on thedaysh ISL's manufacturing and deployment of chemical weapons,
both shared with the Iraqi authorities inOctober and November twenty twenty three.
We stress the importance of unitad's rolein providing information and evidence to third party

(01:03:36):
nations such as the United States.Unatad's recent investigation into the manufacture and use
of chemical weapons by ISIS was onesuch important, albeit disturbing example. Untad's
evidence sharing with other countries in supportof prosecutions of ISIS members abroad is an
essential element of its work. Thefight against ISIS will not be complete until

(01:04:00):
the ISIS perpetrators of atrocities are heldaccountable, wherever they may be. We
should recognize that UNATAD continues to bea good example of how the UN can
support post conflict countries on a pathto peace and security. For this reason,
we need to be ready to continueits work in a rock beyond the
upcoming year, should the demand remain. Thank you, mister President, I

(01:04:28):
thank the representative of the United states. I now give the flow to the
Representative of the United Arab Emirates Chacharan, say the least thank you, mister
President. I would like to thankTHEE Special Adviser mister Kristin Richer for his
comprehensive briefing and I welcome the participationof the Representative of the Republic of Iraq
in this meeting. Mister President.The OYE values the progress achieved by UNITAD

(01:04:54):
during the past six months in collectingevidence on crimes committed by the terrorist organization
DASH in Iraq. Some of thesecrimes may constitute crimes against humanity and crimes
of genocide, including investigations into Diysh'suse of chemical and biological weapons, sexual

(01:05:16):
violence against women and girls, andthe destruction of cultural heritage. We commend
as well the team for their effortsin exhuming remains from mass graves. These
investigations by UNITAD hold significant importance.However, it is even more important to

(01:05:39):
ensure that UNITAD will hand over theevidence to Iraq so that it can be
utilized to carry out trials trials ofDISH members and to achieve justice. This
is why the Council must remain seizedof this matter, especially upon the issuance

(01:05:59):
of the Secretary General's anticipated report onJanuary fifteenth, which will outline the possible
ways by which UNITAT can deliver oncollected and processed evidence to the Iraqi government,
including the comprehensive details of any evidenceshared with third countries. Resolution twenty

(01:06:21):
twenty three seventy nine designates the Iraqigovernment as the primary recipient of this evidence.
The Secretary General's proposals in this regardmust be both practical and applicable with
full respect for Iraq's sovereignty. Inaddition, successfully holding Dash accountable and the

(01:06:45):
subsequent transfer of evidence to Iraq foruse in national trials constitute important factors for
the terrence of terrorists around the world. This approach serves our collective efforts to
prevent the research urgence of this groupor the emergence of other more extremist entities.
In this context, we support theIraqi government's efforts to hold Dish criminals

(01:07:09):
accountable wherever they may be, andwe commend that the achievements so far in
this regard many progress Rather, manysurvivors and the victims' families are still waiting
for justice. This includes hundreds ofpeople still wondering about the fate of their
loved ones. With the growing indicationsthat a large number of DISH members have

(01:07:30):
fled to other countries, there isneed to continue sharing evidence with third countries.
This is essential for securing accountability againstDIASH members regardless of their location.
We welcome the agreement reached between theIraqi government and UNITAD regarding mechanisms for evidence
sharing with third countries, and wealso welcome the completion of the first joint

(01:07:51):
case file between the Iraqi Investigative Judgesand UNITAD to support the trial of a
DISH member in a third country ina way that strengthens international criminal justice and
contributes to the transfer of expertise toIraqi authorities. We further urge the team
to continue transferring knowledge to Iraqi judgesand experts, especially in the field of

(01:08:15):
digital forensics, throughout the remainder ofits mandate. We welcome the opening of
seven digital forensic laboratories so far inIraq, and we commend the team's efforts
in digitizing millions of documents and evidence. This digital transformation will enhance the accessibility
of evidence for Iraqi judicial authorities.In the next ten months, it will

(01:08:40):
be critical to complete the procedures forthe responsible termination and closure of the team's
operations. This process should be guidedby a roadmap to be developed by the
Team in coordination with the Iraqi governmentby the fifteenth of March. On the
other hand, the Team has madestrenuous efforts to collect statements from witnesses about

(01:09:03):
a number of crimes. It iscrucial to clarify the mechanisms through which these
statements can be ultimately delivered to theIraqi authorities to ensure their optimal utilization while
safeguarding the protection of witnesses. Weurge that the Council be regularly updated on

(01:09:25):
the progress made in implementing all provisionsof Resolution twenty six ninety seven throughout the
remaining period, with special emphasis onthe on the briefing scheduled for June next
year. We further reaffirm our supportfor Iraq sovereignty, security, stability and
territorial integrity. Thank you, misterPresident, I think the representative of the

(01:09:51):
United Arab Emirates. I now givethe flow to the representative of Japan.
Mister President, I think, misterChristian Richer, Special Advisor and head of
the UNITAD for the valuable information hefurnished the Council withs Today. As part
of the international community's efforts to eradicateterrorism, ensuring accountability for crimes committed by

(01:10:15):
Islamic State in Iraq and levant includingwar crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,
remains pivotal. UNITAD has been supportingthe Iraqi led process on accountability since
its exception five years ago, andJapan commenced its unwavering dedication. Among the

(01:10:38):
wide variety of areas of investigation inwhich UNITAD made progress in close cooperation with
relevant Iraqi authorities during the reporting period, we particularly commend the work Accompanish accomplished
on sexual and gender based crimes andcrimes against children. Continuing the schematic investigation

(01:11:01):
is significant not only for punishing immediateperpetuators, but also for ending the culture
of impunity and helping to eliminate genderbased violence, including sexual violence in conflict.
We note that some investigative work isstill preliminary, such as the concerning

(01:11:23):
crimes committed against Shia two Coman women, and we encourage UNITAD to ensure that
it continues to build upon what hasbeen found so far. Building the capacities
of Iraqi judicial authorities is also criticalin order to ensure they can continue their

(01:11:43):
work after UNITAD completes its mandate.We welcome the ongoing close collaboration between UNITAD
and the Iraqi Judicial authorities on variouscapacity building initiatives, including joint case building,
the digitization of core records, andother technical assistants. As a Special

(01:12:03):
Advisor points out in his report andbriefings today, this type of collaboration will
serve as a strategic asset for Iraqin continuous combating terrorism once such efforts bear
tangible outcomes, though we note thiswill still take time. We welcome that

(01:12:25):
UNITAD, in consultation with the Governmentof Iraq, has identified modalities for the
transfer of evidence with third countries inresponse to the request of Iraq and as
requested by the Security Council in theResolution twenty six ninety seven. Close collaboration
and communication with all relevant ministries andagencies of the Iraqi government are the hallmark

(01:12:49):
of effective mandate implementation by the team. At the same time, it should
also be reminded that the shared goalin this DOSHI for the Iraqi Government United
and the Secretary Security Council is toensure accountability for crimes committed by ISUL,

(01:13:12):
and that the legacy of UNITA whichserves this purpose needs to be preserved.
With this, we look forward toa report by the Secretary General and the
other by and another by the SpecialAdvisor has requested, which will provide a
council with solid foundation to discuss theway forward, bearing in mind the requests

(01:13:36):
by the government of Iraq. Ithank you mister President Color represented, I
thank the Representative of Japan, andnow give the flow to the Representative of
China. Mister President, I thankSpecial Adviser mister Richard for briefing and welcome

(01:13:56):
the positive briefing Unit that has madeover the past six months. China has
all long underscored in console's previous libationsthat UNITAD is a temporary, un transitional
arrangement made by the Security Console insupport of Iraq's accountability efforts. In September
this year, the Console adopted Resolutiontwenty six ninety seven, which renewed the

(01:14:18):
team for the final one year noextendible term until seventeenth September twenty twenty four.
It is our hope that this requestwill be effectively implemented and the team
will consult fully with Iraq, formulatea practical, un actionable exit strategy without
delay, and complete its withdrawal ina timely unorderly manner. UNITAD should also

(01:14:42):
work to ensure timely unsystematic count ofall evidence to the Iraqi government so that
evidence can be turned into a powerfulweapon to hold Taris accountable. That's completing
the historic task of supporting Iraq's accountabilityefforts. Recently, UNITAD has reached an
agreement with the Iraqi government on themodalities of evidence sharing with third countries.

(01:15:05):
We welcome this. We hope thatthe team will, as requested, informed
the Iraqi government of previously shared evidencefiles as soon as possible. Mister President,
Iraq is at the forefront of internationalcontact terror efforts and has made tremendous
sacrifices in the fight against Dayesh andin the recovery of territories occupied by terrorists

(01:15:29):
and extremist forces. The international communityshould continue to set fastly support Iraq in
beefing up its counter tarak past,the building combating terrorism, eliminating terrorist eminence,
and consolidating hard won counter terror achievements. Thank you, mister President Qua
presid Dante I think the Representative ofChina and a goodly flaw to the Representative

(01:15:50):
of Muzambique, Mister Pleasant. Ithink the Special Advisor and head of the
United Nation and Investigative Team to promoteaccountability for crimes committed by Daesh is Zil,
Mister Christian Richer and his team forthe briefing, I also acknowledged the

(01:16:13):
presence of the Permanent Representative of Iraqat this meeting. Mister President Mozambique commands
unitieds valuable contribution in promoting accountability forcrimes committed by Daesh, Islamic State in
Iraq and eleventh. United Team's commitmenttowards the implementation of Security Council Resolution twenty

(01:16:36):
three seventy nine and the twenty sixseven nineteen seven deserves our appreciation. The
violent extremist and the terrorist acts ofthe Islamic State and Eleventh in Iraq continue
to threaten international peace and security.In this connection, unitieds work in assisting

(01:16:58):
Iraq judiciary is crucial to ensure thatthere is no impunity for the age is
In perpetrators. Mozambique welcomes the team'smilestone reached in all lines of inquiry including
the investigation of specialized cross sectoral areasand the investigation of gender based crimes and
crimes against children. International crimes needa substantial amount of time, specialized knowledge,

(01:17:28):
and sufficient funds and resources for investigation, prosecution and settlement. Unit AD
support to Iraqi is fundamental in pursuitof justice for victims and survivors and accountability
for the perpetrators of war crimes,crimes against humanity, genocide and other heinous

(01:17:50):
crimes. Breaking the circle of impunityis an important step towards stabilization, reconstruction
and reconciliation in Iraq. Mozambique isextremely appreciative of UNITIED assistance to Iraq in
various forms, including the provision ofmaterial and human resources. The vital role

(01:18:15):
of UNITIED in providing training to localstaff and the national forensic professional is a
major factor enhancing the nation's capacity tocounter the global threat that is terrorism,
Mister President, In order to effectivelyutilize the evidence gathered by UNITIED team in
independent criminal proceedings before Iraq's court,it is also crucial that Iraq establish a

(01:18:44):
sufficient domestic legal framework for the investigation, prosecution, and the adjudication of international
crimes. It is our view thatthe domestication of international crime law, a
criminal law and the prompt adoption oflegislation pertaining to international crimes are crucial in

(01:19:06):
this regards. An essential step forwardis the involvement of legal profession from abroad
and Iraq in training about the relationshipbetween domestic and international criminal law. Mister
President, it is difficult to bringDesh accountable for the horrific crimes it has

(01:19:28):
committed without the cooperation of all pertinentnational stakeholders. United's relationship with authorities,
religious institutions, non profit organizations andother groups must be strengthened. Finally,
it is critical that Unit had besupported in its efforts to hold those responsible

(01:19:53):
for the transnational crimes such as thoseDaesh has committed in Iraq and throughout the
world accountable. I thank you Massa, I thank the Representative of Mozambique.
I now give the floor to theRepresentative of Malta and I also thank Special
Adviser Richa for his reports and briefing, and welcome Perman Representative of Iraq to

(01:20:16):
this meeting. Malta commands UNITAD forthe progress achieved across its investigative priorities during
reporting periods. We recognize that thecorporation afforded by the Government of Iraq,
the Iraqi Judiciary, and the KurdistanRegional Government was essential ensuring such progress.
Unitad's investigative achievements over the past sixmonths include the production of an analytical report

(01:20:40):
on sexual violence perpetrated by DIESH againstwomen and girls and a case assessment report
on dish's manufacture and use of chemicalweapons. We welcome the sharing of both
reports with the Iraqi authorities and theteam's commitments to sharing additional analytical and structural
findings with the Iraqi Judiciary. Morebroadly, mort appreciates the team's continued partnerships

(01:21:03):
with civil society, victims, survivors, communities, and religious leaders across all
aspects of its investigative work. President, we look forward to receiving the Secretary
Generalist report next month on Iraq's requestfor the transfer of vinitad's evidence holdings.
Our view is that any evidence transfersmust be consistent with international human rights law

(01:21:30):
and the team's terms of reference,including UN best practices. Key to overcoming
challenges regarding the transfer of evidence isthe adoption of a domestic legal framework enabling
the prosecution of international crimes, namelygenocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
MORTAR repeats our call that such legislationshould be progressed as a matter of

(01:21:53):
priority and precludes the application of thedeath penalty in line with UN best practices.
UNITAD provides wide ranging technical assistance andsupport to the Iraqi authorities, including
evidence digitization and preservation, excavation ofmass graves, and training to judges.
We share unitad's views regarding the importanceof this collaborative and impactful work, which

(01:22:17):
has received substantial funding from the EuropeanUnion. We also welcome the swift conclusion
of an agreement between the Government ofIraq and UNITAD to determine modalities for information
sharing with third states in line ofRestitution twenty six ninety seven. This has
enabled the team to continue supporting agrowing number of national jurisdictions with respect to

(01:22:41):
ongoing investigations and prosecutions. We lookforward to receiving the roadmap for the completion
of the team's work next March.However, we note that the views expressed
in the team's latest reports that unitad'smandate will not be completed in a meaningful
way by September twenty four. Althoughwills of justice can turn slowly, we

(01:23:01):
must acknowledge the concrete results achieved byUNITAD over the past five years and pursuing
accountability for Trucity crimes committed by DiationIraq. In addition, utah's important work
continues a pays across all aspects ofits mandate, including investigations, evidence collection
and capacity building. A drawdown ofUNITA's functions must therefore be gradual and orderly,

(01:23:27):
recognizing also the needs to appropriately dealwith confidential and sensitive evidence in the
team's possession. This includes testimonial evidencefrom victims and witnesses from vulnerable communities.
In concluding, I want to ensureyour Special Advisor of Mortu's continuing support of
unitad's crucial work in ensuring there isno impunity for Truscity crimes committed by Diation

(01:23:47):
Iraq. Together we must ensure thelegitimate court for justice of survivors and victims
is fulfilled. I thank you,I thank the Representative of Malta, and
I will now make a statement andin my quality make a statement representing my
quality as representative of Ecuador. Iwould like to thank the Special Advisor and

(01:24:12):
his team for introducing the eleventh Reportof UNITAD. I would also like to
welcome the Representative of Iraq to thismeeting. The adoption of Resolution twenty six
ninety seven of twenty twenty three lastSeptember, through which this Council, taking
note of the request of the Governmentof Iraq, decided unanimously to extend the

(01:24:33):
mandate of the Special Advisor and theTeam until September twenty twenty four, only
represents a new stage in the workof UNITAD. In this context, my
intervention will focus on three areas ofthe report. Firstly, we note that
whilst UNITAD has begun a process ofreappraising its priorities, it continues to accomplish

(01:24:57):
the tasks entrusted to it under Resolutiontwenty three s nine of twenty seventeen.
We would also highlight the preparation ofreports on the development and use of chemical
weapons by DIESH, as well ason sexual violence against women and girls,
which have already been passed on tothe Iraqi authorities. It's also our understanding
that a report on the destruction ofIraqi cultural heritage is being prepared. The

(01:25:21):
information contained in these reports is fundamentalto sustain the judicial and police efforts in
Iraq in order to bring to justiceboth those that have perpetrated crimes against various
communities in Iraq which could constitute warcrimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,
as well as those who provided assistanceand financing for these crimes. Secondly,

(01:25:45):
we support the cooperation between UNITAD andthe Government of Iraq in the preparation of
joint reports on the presumed perpetrators residingin third states and the fact that the
first of these cases has been concluded. Likewise, we support the contribution of
UNITAD to the development of institutional capacityin Iraq, including the development of a

(01:26:08):
legislative framework on international crimes, supportfor the victims and witnesses, and the
establishment of a centralized digital archive.Equally, the cooperation of UNITAD with the
communities affected by dioshous crimes and linkswith non governmental and international organizations continues to
be the cornerstone of the efforts ofinvestigation and gathering of evidence. Thirdly,

(01:26:32):
we are happy to hear that UNITADhas informed the Iraqi authorities with regard to
evidence that has been shared with thirdcountries, as well as the agreement that
was reached in October of twenty twentythree with regard to the modalities that must
be followed in such procedures. Asthe report points out, this is a

(01:26:53):
first step in implementing Resolution twenty sixninety seven, which should be complemented by
the presentation of a report by theSecretary General containing recommendations for the handing over
of evidence to the Government of Iraqand the road map which, in consultation
with the Government of Iraq should bedrawn up in order to complete unitad's mandates.

(01:27:15):
We believe that adequate preparation of thesereports will be essential in order to
clear up any doubts with regard tounitad's activities and the results that it was
able to obtain. In conclusion,I would like to reiterate the support of
my country to UNITAD and its contributionto the rule of law, reconciliation and
sustainable peace in Iraq. I nowresume my functions as President of the Council.

(01:27:44):
I now give the flaw to theRepresentative of Iraq. Mister President,
thank you very much for hosting us. I would also like to welcome the
distinguished men of the Security Council.I would like to begin as representative of

(01:28:08):
the Republic of Iraq by expressing ourthanks to the United Nations and its principal
organs and offices through its different resolutionsand recommendations. And we would like to
thank all international efforts that have supportedIraq in its fight against terrorism and its
quest for counter terrorism and the prosecutionof terrorists. And I would also like

(01:28:30):
to thank Excellency Ambassad Josse Safeir,the representative of Ecuador. We would like
to congratulate you on presiding over thepresent over the Council this month and wish
you all the success. I wouldalso like to thank the People's Republic of
China for its leadership of the Councillast month. I would also like to

(01:28:54):
thank mister Christin Richard and his teamfor the briefing before this August County so
through presenting the most important aspects ofthe eleventh Report, which included the activities
of UNITAD in Iraq during the periodcovered by the report. And in light
of what he has presented, wewould like to applaud the mention of promotion

(01:29:24):
of cooperation with the Iraqi Judiciary andother Iraqi authorities of the government and as
in addition, the paragraphs that arerelated to the implementation of Skitch CULTURL Resolution
twenty six ninety seven. In thisregard, we would like to clarify that
the authorities in Iraq did not receivethe report at an appropriate time. Therefore,

(01:29:47):
we have not had the time tocarefully examine the report and review its
findings with the national authorities mentioned inthe report, as well as what has
mentioned on digital archives in the report. Mister President, we welcome Resolution twenty

(01:30:09):
six ninety seven, which has includedthe requests of Iraq included in our letter
from the Prime Minister with regards tohand the handing over of all evidence to
the Iraqi government during the final extensionof the Unitad mandate. In this regard,

(01:30:29):
we reiterate our firm position on theextension of the mandate for only one
year and I repeat only one yearfor the final time that ends in September
twenty twenty four. Therefore, thegovernment of Iraq continues to attach importance to

(01:30:54):
implement the mandate for the final yearand leading to its closure, and during
this final year, all evidence mustbe provided, whether those acquired by the
team or those received from Iraq anddeveloped using advanced technology. Handing over all
this evidence to the Iraqi government tobe used before Iraqi courts. The mandate

(01:31:17):
of UNITAD, as per the termsof Reference and the Resolutions, is centered
on the collection, preservation and storageof evidence on DAT crimes in Iraq and
presenting them for fair trials that willcontribute to achieving justice, accountability and justice

(01:31:40):
for the victims. The team's mandatecannot be reduced to the evidence without using
the evidence in national courts contexts.Mister President, the formation of UNITAD is
a unique experiment experience in international cooperationin order to achieve criminal accountability in the

(01:32:08):
most serious crimes on the international level. The threat posed by DASH and the
efforts by UNITAD and it's head throughthe implementation of their mandate during which they
faced difficult circumstances and challenges related tothe context within which the investigation investigations were

(01:32:33):
carried out. Accordingly, Iraq continuesto support the success of this experience.
Therefore, continuing the mandate of theUNITAD through delivering the evidence to the Iraqi
government which has been collected on itsterritory will be the proof of the success

(01:32:59):
of the experience. If this isnot achieved, it may weaken state's trust
in such mechanisms in the future,Mister President, the Iraqi government continued to
coordinate and cooperate with the UNITAD inan ideal manner and provided the facilitation required
to guarantee the impartiality and independence ofthe UNITAD as per Security Council resolutions and

(01:33:26):
as per the terms of reference.The technical authorities have delivered observations that we
believe that UNITAD should have taken intoconsideration within its mandate, the mandate that
has required that it provides all thesupport necessary to the Iraqi government within the

(01:33:47):
respect for Iraqi sovereignty. We haveclarified these observations in detail in previous statements
before the Council. We reiterate thatuntil this moment, the Iraqi government has
not received any evidence from UNITAD thatcould be used in criminal proceedings. We

(01:34:08):
only received reports and summaries that haveno legal value before national courts. Therefore,
and through this August Council, theIraqi Government expresses its reservation on the
delivery of reports on dash crimes.We consider this a contradiction to the Security

(01:34:30):
Council resolutions on the topic and theterms of reference, which have included that
UNITAD should deliver the evidence of thedash crimes against the Iraqi people in order
to achieve accountability and justice. Inthis context, we seek clarification from UNITAD
on the utility and importance of thesereports on a legal level and on what

(01:34:56):
basis were they provided instead of evidence. The two issues are categorically different through
their legal use and legal value.In the same context, we would like
to clarify that we as the Iraqigovernment, feel a great responsibility to achieve
justice for the victims and achieve accountabilityand to prosecute every individual involved in these

(01:35:21):
crimes, be they individuals or organizationsor states. We describe these crimes as
the most serious, most heinous throughouthuman history. Accordingly, the Iraqi government
desires every piece of evidence that mayachieve justice and accountability. It is a

(01:35:43):
right and a moral and legal duty. Therefore, issuing reports on that crimes
and delivering them to Iraq may notamount to the level of ambitions to achieve
justice, and therefore the evidence arerequired to achieve justice. In particular,

(01:36:05):
if we realize that these reports haveno legal effect that can be used or
relied upon in the context of criminalprosecutions. In this regard, we would
like to refer to a very importantmatter, which are the accounts of witnesses

(01:36:28):
that have not been shared with theIraqi government, which UNITAD has acquired through
implementation of its mandate on Iraqi territorywith full support from the Iraqi government.
This raises a number of questions andlegal issues and to what extent is such
a practice in compliance with the mandateand what use would these witness accounts be

(01:36:56):
if they are not used in domesticcourts. What are the means of remedy
for the victims that can be achievedby these witness accounts. This will lead
to further impunity and a lack ofaccountability. In this regard, we would
like to indicate that delayed proceedings haveallowed members of DISH to escape outside of

(01:37:26):
Iraq and seek havens, which explainsthe rise in proceedings in a number of
countries that have received refugees who includedpersons involved in terrorist crimes with DISH against
the Iraqi people. The main reasoncould be the delay in prosecution and accountability

(01:37:49):
and use of the evidence developed byUNITAD against the DISH members. This clear
led to a delay in justice anda delay in justice for the victims In
this context and within the mandate ofUNITAD, we emphasize that the main mandate

(01:38:14):
constitutes carrying out proceedings court proceedings inIraq, Mister President, the government is
prepared to share evidence with all statesafter the closure of the UNITAD mission in
September twenty twenty four. The evidencethat will be owned by Iraq and the

(01:38:34):
ones that we have delivered to UNITADand that have represent close to ninety percent
of the evidence possessed by the UNITADshould lead in the end to reach the
government once again and will be usedto achieve national accountability as well as international

(01:38:58):
accountability, and will support international effortsto achieve justice against everyone who perpetrated,
supported or funded crimes. This willlead to a lank of safe haven to
be available to the DISH members whowere able to escape. With regards to

(01:39:24):
evidence shared with third states, thegovernment has responded quickly to implementation of a
paragraph five of Resolution twenty six ninetyseven in order to continue the evidence sharing
with third states. At the sametime, the paragraph clearly stated the requirement

(01:39:45):
to communicate to the Government of Iraqthe details of evidence sharing with third states.
Therefore, we would like to emphasizethat we are strongly interested in the
nature and kind of the evidence sharedwith third states, not only their categories
or titles, and we are alsointerested strongly in the evidence developed through the

(01:40:15):
use of advanced technology in processing theevidence received from Iraq throughout the six years
of the mandate. So far,until this moment, we have not been
informed of the evidence as per paragraphfive of the mentioned resolution. We would
like to indicate that the UNITAD activitiesinclude evidence sharing with third states through the

(01:40:41):
support of the government of Iraq asper the mandate, and this was the
essence of Iraq's acceptance of the UNITADmandate. Mister President, we emphasize once
again our commitment to cooperate with UNITADand to provide the support through the National

(01:41:04):
Coordinating Committee, which is mandated withproviding support to UNITAD, and we will
do so as per Resolution twenty sixfifth ninety seven. In respect for our

(01:41:26):
sovereignty and jurisdiction over crimes committed withinour borders. We further emphasize that we
intend to cooperate with all member statesand will share evidence with third states as
necessary. In conclusion, Mister President, we thank you and thank all states
that have supported Iraq in addressing encounteringterrorism and presenting criminals to national prosecution.

(01:41:51):
We thank mister Richard and his teamfor their efforts over six years and for
highlighting the magnitude of the crime sufferedby the Iraqi people at the hands of
DASH, and we hope that theseefforts will culminate with the delivery of all
evidence to the Iraqi government and toachieve the closure as per the time frame,

(01:42:15):
and we wish mister Richard and histeam all the success in the future.
I would like to clarify as well, in relation to what has been
mentioned on evidence of the use ofDASH of chemical and biological weapons, I
would like to emphasize that Iraq isa party to the CWC on Chemical Weapons

(01:42:40):
as well as the Convention on BiologicalWeapons and we are committed to presenting reports
of transparency on an annual basis andwe annually receive inspection teams from OPCW and
we provide all the facilitation necessary.Thank you, mister President. I thank

(01:43:06):
the representative of Iraq. There areThe show has been produced by Depictions Media.

(01:43:46):
Please contact us at depictions dot mediafor more information.

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