Remarks by Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance, at the Nine-Year Commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide

Distinguished participants,

I am grateful for the invitation to speak at this event. Nine years since the beginning of the genocide of the Yazidi community in Iraq perpetrated by Daesh/ISIL. I want to express at the outset my strong solidarity with all the victims of that sick and dangerous ideology. The effects of those atrocities continue to affect the lives of the survivors, those still missing and their families, Iraq as a whole, and the conscience of everyone in the world.

It is incumbent therefore upon us today to recommit ourselves to healing the wounds of what happened since August 2014, and support the Yazidis in rebuilding their lives.

So let me take this opportunity to highlight a few key points as follows:

On the political side, we have the Sinjar Agreement of 2020 awaiting implementation. I hope that a mayor will be appointed without further delay, to serve in that position until the forthcoming provincial council elections.

On the topic of reconstruction, I am aware of the appeal by the NGOs gathered here for a significant increase in government funding. The UN is committed to support fund-raising and coordinating reconstruction projects with the government and the Sinjar community.

With regard to security, according to the Sinjar Agreement, a new security force of 2,500 members recruited from among the Sinjaris should be established.  I understand that the training of the first 500 members of this force is to start soon.

I hope that as administrative stability and security are re-established in Sinjar, more people will return so that displaced camps can be finally closed. And we should not rest until the fate of the Yazidis who are still missing is established.

Let me mention two other important issues, reparations and accountability, which need to be pursued in parallel with the elements of the Sinjar Agreement.

Reparations are key to recognizing the harm done to survivors and assisting them in rebuilding their lives. In this context, the adoption of the

2021 Yazidi Survivors’ Law was an important initiative, but the law should be implemented at greater speed, without unnecessary obstacles, and expanded to all victims, including children born of rape.

With regards to accountability, efforts must continue to bring to justice those responsible for the crimes committed by Daesh. Trials are important to dispense justice and also to avoid blaming a whole community for the action of individuals from that community.  I have heard from some Yazidis a strong distrust of anyone who is Sunni.  But while there were Sunnis who joined Daesh and many who kept silent, others took serious risks and helped Yazidis to hide and escape.  In this context, the work of UNITAD is critical.

In conclusion, let me stress that UNAMI, in line with its mandate, will continue to support the governments in Baghdad and Erbil in their efforts to advance the implementation of the Sinjar agreement and undertake the other important initiatives that I mentioned, in cooperation with NGOs and in coordination with the Yazidi community and the other communities.

In the end what is at stake is the future of the Yazidis in Iraq, their peaceful coexistence with all other communities, as Iraq grows as a democratic and pluralistic country in which the human rights of everyone are respected.

Thank you.