AS DELIVERED

Mr. President, this adoption comes at a milestone in Iraq’s fight against ISIL. As Member States, we join the Iraqi people in celebrating the liberation of Mosul earlier this week.

The Iraqi Security Forces have dealt ISIL a devastating loss, and the United States and the Coalition will support Iraq as this momentum continues through the liberation of remaining Iraqi territory still under ISIL control.

Over the course of negotiations, Council members recognized that the need for reconciliation – at both the national and the local level – grows more acute as the ultimate defeat of ISIS draws nearer.

The United States salutes UNAMI’s role in engaging the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and other stakeholders on national reconciliation.

We would also urge UNAMI to invigorate its ongoing efforts, in coordination with Iraqi authorities, to increase transparency in the protection of Iraq’s most vulnerable groups, such as IDPs in transit, and encourage Iraq to hold accountable those who committed atrocities against such groups.

I would like to highlight an important addition to this year’s mandate: the first-ever external review of a special political mission’s staffing and resources, whereby the Secretariat will engage a third-party consultancy to identify efficiencies and delineate responsibilities between UNAMI and the UN Country Team.

While this is a new tool for the Security Council, this unbiased third-party review should set a gold standard

for improving efficiency and accountability in the field, and will enable UNAMI to more effectively deliver on its mandate.

The United States is proud to join the rest of the Council in supporting UNAMI’s work toward a durable and sustainable peace for Iraq, and we thank all of our counterparts on the Council for their productive engagement, discourse, and consensus on this mission.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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