A view of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Secretary-General’s Special Representative: The Region is on Fire, but Iraq Has Made Progress in Ensuring Stability and Security Peace and Security
Iraq has made significant progress in ensuring stability, security and economic development in 2024, despite numerous challenges, the newly appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Mohamed Al-Hassan, said at a Security Council meeting on Friday, stressing that the country, which is the “cradle of human civilization,” has the potential to overcome crises and create a better future.
“The Iraq of today is not the Iraq of 20 years ago, or even five years ago,” the Special Representative said.
“The region is on fire, but the Iraqi government has demonstrated a strong determination not to allow the country to be drawn into a widening regional conflict, while clearly supporting regional peace and stability,” he added.
Population census a major step forward
One of the key achievements was the holding of a national census on November 20, the first since 1987 to cover the entire country, including the Kurdistan Region. Preliminary figures show that Iraq’s population has almost doubled in 30 years to more than 45 million.
“The country’s leadership now has reliable data for planning,” Al-Hassan emphasized, adding that the census opens up new opportunities for developing effective social and economic policies.
New Speaker of the Council of Representatives and Elections in Kurdistan
A new speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq was elected on October 31, which was an important step towards strengthening parliamentary dialogue and developing new legislation.
In addition, parliamentary elections were held in October in Kurdistan, which restored legitimacy to regional government institutions. “I personally observed well-organized and smoothly conducted voting in Erbil and Dahuk on October 20,” the Special Representative noted, adding that voter turnout was 72 percent. He also reported that out of 100 seats in parliament, 31 were won by women.
According to Al-Hassan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani is actively promoting major infrastructure projects: the construction of roads, bridges, schools and transport networks. These initiatives not only improve the quality of services, but also help create new jobs.
Challenges remain
Despite significant progress, Iraq continues to face systemic corruption. The Special Representative noted that large-scale reforms are needed to increase transparency, strengthen governance and ensure accountability.
“The government is taking encouraging steps in this direction,” he said.
Al-Hassan recalled that thousands of people, including Yazidis, continue to live in camps for displaced persons in very difficult conditions. He said that this was unacceptable and called on the Iraqi authorities to create conditions for their return to their homelands.
Closing down the UN mission in Iraq
The Special Representative, who also holds the post of Head of the UN Mission in Iraq, called on the Security Council to allocate the necessary budget for the coming year, which will allow for the effective implementation of the tasks related to the process of closing down the mission by the end of 2025, as stipulated in resolution 2732. The Council adopted a corresponding decision in May of this year.