Iraq

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Mr. Secretary-General, Ladies and gentlemen,

Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.

The seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly convenes amid dangerous circumstances afflicting the Middle East, in which the international order faces a severe test that threatens its very existence and renders it incapable of achieving the goals for which it was established, foremost among them the preservation of international peace, security, and human rights. Today we are witnessing unprecedented violations of international charters and norms, with all institutions being sidelined—institutions that are supposed to contribute to managing and regulating international relations in a manner that reinforces peace and stability and elevates human relations away from violence and brutal treatment.

Important principles such as sovereignty, territorial integrity, multilateral cooperation, the laws of war, international humanitarian law, the responsibility to protect, and the right to self-determination have been disregarded. The world is being pushed toward comprehensive confrontations and conflicts, while the Security Council stands powerless, without a role.

In the absence of this responsibility, resort may be made to alternative mechanisms, and the disregard for these institutions foreshadows a return of international relations to a state of chaos.

At the same time, we must not fail to commend certain courageous positions taken by some figures who head these UN institutions, among them the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres. However, we clearly see, despite great efforts, an absence of effective influence.

Stopping what is happening in Palestine and the region in terms of violations is the responsibility of everyone, and above all of the Security Council, which has failed to achieve its most important goal—namely, the preservation of international peace and security.

In occupied Palestine, today we stand before a people subjected to aggression by an occupying military power that displaces millions without deterrence and kills thousands, while there is open talk of collective starvation to annihilate this people, and of the use of nuclear weapons to eliminate them, voiced by senior officials of the occupying entity, without any deterrent measures being taken. Neither the international community nor any of its members has fulfilled the responsibility to protect that is incumbent upon them under international law.

The Palestinian people have been deprived of the right to live in dignity in a state like other peoples, amid a shameful global failure. Indeed, the perpetrators are being enabled to persist and escalate, expanding the conflict and attacking others, through support for them and ensuring their repeated impunity.

We have likewise witnessed further recklessness that has rendered international law and Security Council resolutions mere ink on paper, in a series of attacks against countries in the region, occupation and annexation of territories, and the alteration of international borders through the use of force, in defiance of Security Council resolutions—dangerous precedents that threaten the entire international order and strike at the pillar of international institutions, entailing grave consequences for all of humanity.

In an escalation of extremism, the occupation cites Security Council resolution 1701 as a pretext for aggression against Lebanon, selectively invoking this resolution and some of its provisions while disregarding numerous other resolutions and undisputed principles of international law issued by the Security Council, including resolutions 242, 246, 250, 265, and 297.

We are witnessing a brutal campaign of indiscriminate killing and the use of technology to carry out remote detonations, with no regard for unarmed civilians—a dangerous precedent indicating the extent of the occupying government's involvement and complicity in committing crimes against humanity.

Iraq, its government and people, guided by the supreme religious authority, stands today with Lebanon and its brotherly people as they face a new chapter of premeditated, brutal aggression aimed at plunging the region into conflicts—something we had previously warned against. We will continue to provide every possible assistance to help overcome the effects of these attacks.

This position of ours is built upon a long history of solidarity and a well-known Iraqi steadfastness that rejects aggression and occupation, rejects the stripping of peoples' rights to their land, heritage, and sacred sites, and repeatedly condemns any international support or justification for the aggressor's premises.

We also note the continued systematic targeting of international agencies and relief organizations in the occupied territories, and the boldness in harming their personnel, including United Nations agencies—among them the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, which should by rights be protected under international law.

I wish to note that these transgressions not only disrupt humanitarian work but also violate international standards that protect civilians and aid workers in conflict areas.

These recent actions by the occupation seek to threaten the stability of countries in the region by igniting a wide-scale regional war. Iraq, as a founding member of the United Nations, hopes that this institution will achieve the goals for which it was established—preserving peace and security and sparing the world the dangers of wars and tragedies it has tasted throughout history.

Allow us to express our disappointment at the failure of the Security Council and the international system to fulfill their duties.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We note a significant increase in hate crimes and bigotry affecting our security and stability. We are in dire need of international cooperation to spread a spirit of mutual tolerance and respect, and to combat hate speech, discrimination, and violence, which are steadily increasing around the world. One prominent manifestation of hate speech is the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia, which undermines global efforts to achieve peace, security, and coexistence, and creates an atmosphere conducive to attacks targeting our social and moral values, which are part of our human existence. I therefore call upon the United Nations to exert greater efforts to promote dialogue and understanding among different cultures and religions, and I stress the necessity of strengthening unity and harmony in confronting growing polarization, while affirming the need for heads of state and heads of international institutions to stand against religious bigotry and hatred.

Your Excellencies,

In Iraq, by contrast, there are positive developments. The country whose territory was one-third occupied by Daesh, and which many observers believed marked the end of the Iraq we knew, is today, ten years later, witnessing the implementation of a comprehensive plan for reconstruction and development, the restoration of life to its cities, the rise of tall buildings and infrastructure, and the prevalence of security.

We still face numerous fundamental challenges in achieving economic, administrative, and environmental reforms and diversifying the economy. We have taken great strides in achieving security and have achieved victory over terrorism, and soon we will crown this victory over the terrorist organization with a joint and important declaration, alongside our allies and friends who stood by Iraq and supported it against a brutal enemy that posed a danger to the entire world.

Our efforts are focused on strengthening the democratic process in Iraq, consolidating the social contract, and working on national cohesion, in accordance with what our people chose in their permanent constitution of 2005. We have organized provincial council elections, which had been suspended for ten years, and whose organization in Kirkuk had been obstructed since 2005. We are now preparing to organize elections for the parliament of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Our efforts continue to strengthen the relationship between the federal government and the regional government, as well as with local governments in the provinces, in accordance with the constitution and the law, and to protect the existence of minorities and fraternal communities and secure their needs, as among our priorities is spreading justice and preserving diversity in our country, which we consider one of our most important assets.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This government has five priorities: providing job opportunities, improving services, combating poverty, fighting corruption, and implementing economic reforms.

The Iraqi government seeks to rehabilitate the necessary human resources and has accomplished extensive steps in building state institutions and enforcing the rule of law. It also seeks to activate the role of the private sector, address administrative bloat, diversify income sources, reform the banking and financial sector, manage the transition in the energy sector, and address the causes of social, economic, and consequently political unrest.

This transition is complex for Iraq due to the structural economic challenge represented by reliance on the public sector to absorb the workforce, and the consumption of oil revenues to pay salaries for millions of employees. The dual challenge facing Iraq is excessive dependence on oil revenues and the constraint this places on its capacity for economic diversification—the result of decades of wars, economic blockade, the erratic economic policies of the dictatorial regime, and certain aspects of subsequent mismanagement and misjudgment, along with the waste of human and material resources capable of development.

Governance, the fight against corruption, and the achievement of digital transformation and e-government are also among our foremost priorities, being among the most important strategies for reducing corruption and achieving good governance. However, we look to the international community to support our efforts to recover looted funds that rightfully belong to Iraq, and to end the legal and legislative obstacles that some countries place in the way, providing a safe haven for corrupt funds—such as banking secrecy and the prevention of disclosure of beneficial owners—thereby helping evade accountability.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Iraq seeks to achieve regional security and stability by finding avenues for constructive partnerships to confront shared challenges through cooperation among parties and increased mutual interdependence, in a manner that serves everyone's interests. We plan to put forward initiatives reflecting economic integration and regional stability in the region, foremost among them the "Development Road" project, which aims to transform Iraq into a major regional hub for trade and transport, linking the Middle East to Europe through Iraq, using a network of railways, highways, and industrial cities, and connecting the Grand Faw Port in southern Iraq to Europe through countries in the region.

This project represents one of the most important steps in strengthening regional cooperation and integration and is consistent with Iraq's broader goals of rebuilding the economy and improving services.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Iraq faces serious environmental challenges as a result of climate change and desertification—challenges that cannot be addressed without strengthening international cooperation, as desertification and the depletion of vegetation cover lead to the displacement of millions in search of stability, which exacerbates social and political crises.

We call for international solidarity in confronting environmental challenges and for working to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable water resource management, which is a pivotal issue for Iraq. This challenge also requires commitment to the principle of shared and equitable responsibility among states, as Iraq faces existential challenges related to an acute shortage of water resources, which threatens agriculture, negatively impacts the economy, and threatens the lives of millions of Iraqis.

Accordingly, the government gives utmost priority to these issues and is working in cooperation with neighboring countries to reach sustainable solutions and policies to deal with these effects.

Finally...

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the United Nations for the support it has provided to Iraq over the past two decades. We look forward to a new phase of cooperation with the United Nations in Iraq, which will begin at the end of 2025, and we hope this will herald the beginning of a new era filled with stability and prosperity for our people, and a new chapter in our partnership with the United Nations. We are working diligently to build a better future for our coming generations, and we look forward to continued partnership with the international community to achieve this.

Iraq's selection to chair the Group of 77 and China for 2025 represents a victory for productive Iraqi diplomacy, seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, bridge the technological gap between the countries of the North and the countries of the South, achieve integration, and reform the international economic system.

During our chairmanship of this largest international group, comprising 134 member states, we look forward to working toward a more stable and just world, one in which development opportunities interact and are made available for all the peoples of the world.

In conclusion...

Our policy places Iraq, its people, its security, its sovereignty, and its prosperity first, and we move forward with full confidence in erasing the traces of the past with all its wars, dictatorship, and terrorism, just as we move forward in rebuilding Iraq and placing it in the regional and international standing it truly deserves.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.