New French Support for UNITAD to Advance Accountability for ISIL’s Core International Crimes

In particular, this support will promote UNITAD’s lines of investigation into core international crimes committed against members of the Christian community in Iraq, ISIL’s destruction of cultural heritage, and ISIL’s development and use of chemical and biological weapons.

This support will also contribute to the ongoing capacity-building which UNITAD organizes for Iraqi judges to improve their work in documenting and investigating those lines of inquiry regarding ISIL’s international crimes.

Special Adviser Christian Ritscher commended France for its support to the Team mentioning that: “with this new funding, UNITAD will dedicate the necessary resources to investigating these three important pillars, uncovering the magnitude of ISIL core international crimes against Iraqi people and their cultural heritage.”

His Excellency, Dr. Eric Chevallier, Ambassador of France to Iraq, remarked that “the horrendous crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq against the Iraqi people, often targeting the most vulnerable members of the society, and in particular minorities and women and children, must never be left unpunished nor forgotten. In this light, UNITAD’s work is crucial to ensure that ISIL perpetrators be irrefutably brought to justice wherever they may currently be – this latest French financial contribution will help UNITAD fulfill its mandate.” 

This new funding comes in line with France’s long standing support of UNITAD and its mandate, and the pursuit of accountability for ISIL international crimes in Iraq. It opens further channels for more cooperation towards the ultimate goal of achieving justice for victims and survivors of ISIL’s crimes against them, their communities, and Iraq as a whole.