President, as we approach the end of UNITAD’s mandate in September, it is important to reflect on what it has achieved over the past six years. This includes:
- The vast collection and digitisation of evidence of Daesh atrocities so that it can be meaningfully accessed and searched.
- Support for judicial proceedings in 20 jurisdictions, leading to 15 convictions.
- The excavation of mass graves, which has facilitated the return of remains to the families of victims.
This has been possible thanks to the close co-operation between the UNITAD team and the Iraqi authorities, as well as the brave and unwavering commitment of survivors to give their accounts and document the atrocities that occurred. It is the pursuit of justice for such heinous crimes which led the United Kingdom to support the establishment of UNITAD in 2017 with Iraq, and we believe there is more work to be done.
Looking ahead to the final few months of UNITAD’s mandate, we encourage the Special Adviser and the Government of Iraq to intensify co-op