UN Special Representative of Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Concludes Official Visit to Iraq

SRSG Gamba welcomed the signing of the action plan by the Government in March 2023 to prevent the recruitment and use of children by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and significant progress achieved in its implementation. She commended the steps taken to prevent the recruitment and use of children by the PMF, including awareness-raising campaigns, measures to strengthen age assessment, and to promptly investigate any allegations of recruitment and use of children. She also welcomed the absence of verified cases of recruitment and use of children by PMF since 2021.

“The adoption and implementation of the action plan are strong expressions of the Iraqi Government’s commitment to enhance the protection of children,” she said.

During her visit, SRSG Gamba met with the President, H.E. Mr. Abdul Latif Rashid, the Minister of Justice, H.E. Khaled Salam Saeed Shwani, the Minister of Interior, H.E. Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, H.E. Mr. Ahmad Al-Asadi, the Secretary-General of the PMF, Lt General Tahseen Abd Muttar, the interministerial National Committee for the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism and other relevant Government representatives. She encouraged the Government to build on the significant progress made to further institutionalize child protection by developing preventative frameworks, including by adopting of the draft child law, prioritizing demining and explosive risk education, ensuring legal documentation for all children in Iraq, including foreign children, strengthening long-term, community-based reintegration, and addressing the challenges faced by children detained for their or their families’ actual or alleged association with armed groups.

In her meeting with the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, H.E. Masrour Barzani, in Erbil SRSG Gamba emphasized the importance of raising awareness on child protection issues and engaged with the Prime Minister on the implementation of measures to better protect children in the region in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

SRSG Gamba also held meetings with United Nations entities, the international community, and non-governmental organizations and welcomed their efforts to strengthen the protection of children in Iraq. Further, the SRSG’s delegation visited a detention center near Baghdad and a reintegration center for conflict-affected children near Mosul.

“I welcome the positive and constructive engagement with the Government of Iraq and its clear willingness to continue strengthening the prevention of grave violations against children. The children of Iraq have suffered enough from the consequences of armed conflict and deserve a future free from fear and violence.” said SRSG Gamba.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ariane Lignier, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, New York.  ariane.lignier@un.org