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Speech of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the MOHR Conference, National Centre for Human Rights, Baghdad 19 December 2012. Minister for Human Rights, Engineer Shiya Al Sudaani, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured to be here with you today for the publication of the Ministry of Human Rights’ report on implementation […]
The respect and protection of human rights in Iraq remains fragile as the country continues its transition from years of conflict and violence to peace and democracy, says the United Nations in its most recent Report on Human Rights in Iraq, which covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2012. Violence remains of […]
Drafted and adopted by a referendum in 2005, the Iraqi constitution outlines the structure of the federal government and stipulates what bodies should form its legislative, executive and judicial branches. The legislative branch is to consist of the Council of Representatives (CoR; the Iraqi parliament) and the Federation Council, an ‘upper chamber’ of parliament that […]
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), has welcomed the beginning of the first voter registration update in three years as part of preparations for the forthcoming Governorate Council elections on 20 April 2013. “The opening of 891 Voter Registration Centres is an important step towards transparent […]
By John Lee. His Excellency Prime Minister Nouri Kamil Al-Maliki met in his office, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. During the meeting, the Prime Minister praised the role of the United Nations, for supporting Iraq in various conditions and on the cooperation between the two sides. He also praised the efforts […]
By John Lee. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, has concluded a two-day visit to Basra, where he met with the Governor, Dr. Khalaf Abdul-Samad, and with the Director of the Basra office of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Mr. Hazim Joda. “This has been a very fruitful […]
By John Lee. On the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), called on all Iraqis to commit to resolving differences solely through non-violent means. “I am deeply concerned by the increasing violence Iraq has witnessed recently,” Mr. Kobler said. “Official figures […]
By John Lee. UNESCO's Iraq Office and the Governorate of Ninewa signed an agreement to start a project under which UNESCO will carry out a complete set of studies to protect one of the region's historical icons: Al Hadba Minaret. After several meetings and an expert mission, UNESCO Iraq Director Mohamed Djelid met on Friday, […]
By John Lee. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), has expressed his concern over the delay in selecting the new Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). "Any further postponement in appointing the new Commissioners would pose a serious threat to the democratic process in […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that a California court has ruled Iraq not liable for the end of two oil-for-food contracts dating from the Saddam Hussein regime. In a divided ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California said Iraq's current government deserves protection under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 because […]
The KRG will participate in the inauguration ceremony of the United Nations' 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women for the first time, with the participation of more than 190 countries. Dindar Zebari told Iraqi News agency: “The meeting will evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate […]
In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3rd May to be World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), a day which, among other objectives, serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. According to UNESCO figures, since 2008 a total of 26 Iraqi media workers have been killed, […]
