Remarks by Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance | Launch of Iraq’s First National Plan to Promote Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (2025–2030)

Baghdad, 27 August 2025

Her Excellency Evan Jabro, Minister of Migration and Displaced,

Distinguished guests,

It is a privilege to join you today to launch Iraq’s First National Plan to Promote Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (2025–2030).  The plan is a milestone that reflects both national leadership and the strength of partnership between the Government of Iraq, civil society, the international community, and those that this plan is designed to serve.

Migration has always been part of Iraq’s history. Today, we are here to commit ourselves to ensure that migration is about dignity, safety, and opportunity for migrants, for their families, and for the communities they join.Through its First National Plan, Iraq commits itself to manage migration in a way that protects human rights and contributes to national development and stability.

This National Plan embodies the vision and principles of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018, the world’s first comprehensive international framework to address all dimensions of migration in a cooperative and rights-based manner. 

The United Nations Network on Migration in Iraq has been proud to accompany this process. The Network is coordinated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and you will hear more about its work shortly from my colleague Giorgi Gigauri, IOM Chief of Mission in Iraq. 

On behalf of the United Nations in Iraq, I commend the Government of Iraq, especially the Minister of Migration and Displacement, for its leadership, and I thank our partners, including the Kingdom of the Netherlands for their continuing support.

The UN stands ready to work with all of you to turn the ambitions of this plan into tangible results that will benefit not only Iraq, but also the broader global effort to make migration safe, orderly, and regular for all.

Thank you.