Baghdad The National Iraqi News Agency publishes the text of President Barham Salih’s speech at the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Here is the text of the speech:
Ladies and Gentlemen
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.. I stand before you today as a representative of Iraq – the founding state of the United Nations. And about his people who are deeply rooted in history, to the civilizations of Ur, Sumer, Babylon and Assyria, the most ancient civilizations known to mankind.
We meet today, and we are still facing the health challenges resulting from the Covid 19 epidemic, and the issues of violence, terrorism, sustainable development challenges and climate change still represent serious challenges that require serious solutions from us.
These challenges reaffirm that the United Nations and international organizations have a key role in coordinating positions to face challenges. It is time for us to face the dangers together, and our meeting this year represents an opportunity for cooperation and agreement on a roadmap for the future.
In Iraq, the government has taken many necessary health measures to control the epidemic despite the limited health infrastructure that has witnessed widespread destruction as a result of the wars that the country has experienced during the past periods… as we were able to increase the ability of government institutions to provide treatment and prevention, and Iraq was among the first Countries that have joined the “COFAX” initiative to provide vaccines to our citizens and foreign residents.
On this occasion, we express our deep appreciation to the government and people of international organizations, especially the World Health Organization, for their efforts in supporting Iraq to address this epidemic.
Mr. President… Distinguished Guests,
For the past forty years at least, Iraq and its people have been ravaged by wars, sieges, persecutions, extermination campaigns, Anfal, mass graves, the use of chemical weapons in Halabja, draining the marshes, and the persecution of terrorism in our cities.
We succeeded in overcoming these terrible tragedies, and we were able to liberate our cities from the defilement of ISIS and protect the world from its crimes, with the valor of our armed forces from the army, the police, the Popular Mobilization and the Peshmerga, with the support of the International Coalition, our neighbors and friends, and the great role of the religious authority in Najaf, which mobilized the forces of the people in this fateful confrontation.
Our armed forces are also resolutely continuing their operations to eliminate the remaining terrorist cells that threaten the security of Iraq, the region and the world.. We cannot underestimate the danger of terrorism, and we are certain that complacency or preoccupation with conflicts in our region will be an outlet for the return of these dark groups and the threat to our peoples and our security.
We have no choice but to cooperate and unite in confronting the phenomenon of international terrorism and the groups supporting it, combating its financing, addressing its dangerous effects, bringing justice to its victims, and ensuring that terrible tragedies are not repeated.
Our duty now is to reconstruct the liberated cities and return the displaced to their homes, and we have made progress in that, and we look forward to more support from the international community in the reconstruction of areas liberated from terrorism, responding to urgent humanitarian needs and strengthening capacities to rebuild the infrastructure in the country, which contributes to the return of the country’s infrastructure and the dignified normal life of our citizens.
In this context, I refer to Iraq’s adoption of the Yazidi Survivors Law to redress this segment of the population that was subjected to the most horrific forms of persecution and exploitation at the hands of ISIS, and it also includes women from the rest of the components.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Now the phenomenon of corruption also threatens the security and stability of the whole world, as it fuels violence and terrorism.. Our country is facing the phenomenon of corruption because of the dangerous legacy of wars, conflicts and violence that squandered many of our country’s resources and deprived Iraqis of enjoying the bounties of their country. Therefore, fighting corruption represents for Iraq today a national battle, which will not fix the country’s situation before winning it.. This battle is based on reducing the sources of corruption and closing its outlets.. and working to recover the looted and smuggled money, a large part of which is used to perpetuate violence and chaos in the country. We have no choice but to win this battle. In commitment to combating corruption, Iraq joined the United Nations Anti-Corruption Convention of 2000 and the Arab League Anti-Corruption Convention of 2010, and we are working on adopting a draft law to recover the looted funds, and the government has organized a conference in order to coordinate the effort to achieve that.
Hence, I call on friends in the international community to help us detect and recover the smuggled corruption funds from Iraq.. as achieving this will be a decisive step in deterring corruption.. and we renew our call to form an international coalition to fight corruption and recover looted funds, similar to the international coalition against terrorism.. Terrorism can only be eradicated by ending corruption as a political economy of violence and terrorism.. Corruption and terrorism are interlinked, intertwined and antagonistic, and one perpetuates the other.
Mr. President, Distinguished Guests,
Our planet is facing existential danger situations, embodied before us by severe climate changes that threaten the future of our future generations… We may disagree politically, but we must unite together in the face of climate change, as it is a danger that threatens everyone.
Our country, Iraq, is going through difficult climatic conditions of desertification and a scarcity of water resources that made the country the fifth most vulnerable to climate change, according to the sixth Global Environmental Outlook report for West Asia.
Iraq has joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992 and the Paris Agreement of 2015, and we are working to adopt a strategy aimed at protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development goals by 2030. A national contribution document has been drawn up to guide economic transformation and establish the concept of a green economy in a way that will contribute to attracting investment opportunities. new developments in Iraq, and provide greater private sector participation in dealing with climate change.
We have to revive Mesopotamia… This region of the land was called the Land of Blacks and the Gardens of Eden because of its greenness and fertile land, and Iraq with its geographical location in the heart of the region, and the diversity of the environment where palms, marshes and the mountains of Kurdistan, can be a starting point for gathering the environmental countries of the Middle East, and this requires International support in its various fields to support Iraq’s efforts and enable it to implement these national policies and strategies.
The climate crisis does not discriminate or exclude a country without another, and adapting to it and limiting its damage will not succeed through individual steps, and a country that believes that its measures are enough to protect it from climate risks will not be spared without similar measures to its neighbors, its region and the world as a whole. Sand storms, water scarcity, rising temperatures and desertification are risks Cross-border will only be treated
High-level joint international coordination and planning that integrate national, regional and international plans with each other.
Ladies and Gentlemen..
Iraq is located in the heart of the Middle East, which has suffered and suffers from wars and deep conflicts due to the collapse of its security and political system for at least forty years, and the absence of Iraq from its natural role in the region was one of the reasons for the loss of regional stability.
In light of this, Iraq adopts a balanced policy based on supporting dialogue, easing tensions and building on the commons… as we stress the need for a new system based on cooperation and economic interdependence between the countries of the region and with the participation of the international community, and that responds to the common challenges of terrorism, extremism, fluctuations in economic conditions and the inability to provide opportunities Work for the growing numbers of our youth, as well as the dangerous repercussions of climate change.
Based on this, the Iraqi government organized the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, to confirm that Iraq, which was the subject of the conflict, wanted a point of convergence of the interests of the peoples and countries of the region, and that the success of efforts to establish peace would not be possible without Iraq… a secure and stable Iraq with full sovereignty, and its return to its pivotal role in the region This calls for regional and international support and an end to the rivalries and conflicts of others on our land.
We also point out that the continuation of the Syrian crisis and its terrible humanitarian repercussions for the Syrian people has become unacceptable, and we recall that dangerous hotbeds of terrorism are constantly active and subsist on the sustainability of this crisis, threatening our country and the entire region… The time has come for a serious move to end the suffering of the Syrians based on respecting their right to peace, freedom, and the eradication of active hotbeds of terrorism there.
Iraq affirms its position on the necessity of finding a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian issue. Peace cannot be established in the region without acknowledging and fulfilling the full legitimate rights of the Palestinian people in their independent state.
The continuation of the war in Yemen and its security and humanitarian repercussions is a cause for concern that calls for a solution to achieve security and peace for its citizens and the countries of the region.
Mr. President… Distinguished Guests
In the coming month, Iraq awaits a pivotal national entitlement represented by early elections, in response to a popular movement and a broad national consensus on the need for radical reforms and a new political and social contract that addresses the deficiencies in the system of governance, and ensures good governance… These are fateful elections that will have repercussions on Iraq and all Region.
These elections are taking place and our people are reviving a foot march towards Karbala, Al-Hussein, peace be upon him, in which the most noble human values are embodied in reform and peace, rejection of injustice and tyranny, and the demand to live with dignity.
To achieve these noble goals, restoring Iraqis’ confidence in the elections and ensuring broad participation for us now is a top priority. A new, more representative and representative electoral law and a new election commission have been approved, and the government has provided it with its needs to organize the polls, and the “electoral code of conduct” has been adopted from In order for the elections to succeed, the peaceful path of reform would be through a parliament and government that are truly based on the rule of the people without value or manipulation.. One of the reasons for the political tension in the country is due to imbalances and the lack of popular confidence in the previous electoral processes.
In this regard, I would like to thank the countries that contributed to the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2579
To support the electoral process in Iraq, to the General Secretariat of the United Nations and the European Union for their role in facilitating the dispatch of international observers to ensure the highest levels of transparency, and to the United Nations Mission in Iraq for its efforts in providing electoral support.
Dear ones,
Iraq is a living example of diversity and deep human coexistence in history, and our people feel the strength of diversity and coexistence rooted in its roots, and realize that nations are strengthened when respect for diversity is a criterion for their culture.
That is why I conclude my speech by saying that we are partners on this planet, and partners in aspirations and fears, and in human values, we need to feel and stand together to stop the deterioration
Source: National Iraqi News Agency