Remarks by Claudio Cordone Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance at Yazda's 11th year Commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide

Dear Yazda colleagues,

Distinguished participants,

Thank you for the invitation to speak at this event. I present you at the outset with the greetings of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Dr. Mohamed Al Hassan.

Let me begin by expressing the United Nations’ full solidarity with all the victims of Daesh, one of the most brutal, ignorant and perverse ideologies in modern history. Da’esh treated the Yazidis with particular ferocity, committing unspeakable atrocities. The trauma, the pain and the suffering inflicted is still felt in deep wounds by survivors and their families.

At the same time, survivors have shown extraordinary resilience and strength, also by leading important initiatives. I wish to congratulate here Yazda on their “Know Your Rights” program, which empowers participants – not only from the Yazidi community –with knowledge and training so that they can better be their own human rights advocates.  Congratulations to the graduates of this program who are here among us today. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today the struggle for the Yazidi community to recover from their latest genocide is still ongoing.  More than 200,000 Yazidis remain displaced, many still living in camps. Others have returned, but without sufficient services and other support they need to live normal lives. And there are still some 2,600 missing Yazidis. 

I welcome the efforts of Baghdad and Erbil in this regard, but I call for more efforts, and at a faster pace, to make progress towards restoring the rights of the Yazidis. The recovery of the Yazidi community will mark in fact the ultimate defeat of Daesh.

Let me indicate three key areas for specific action.

First, reparations.  These are essential to acknowledge the immense harm endured by survivors and assist them in rebuilding their lives. In this context, I welcome the fact that more than 2,200 survivors are benefitting from the Yazidi Survivors’ Law, four years after its adoption.  Yazda today is publishing a very detailed report assessing the impact of the law.  And I agree that, while the law has significantly improved the lives of many, providing official recognition of the crimes they endured as well as practical support, more needs to be done, specifically by removing the many obstacles hindering the application of the law. Also, the principle of reparations requires that women forced to marry Daesh members, and children born of rape, are not ostracized, but instead receive proper support, including by their community.

Second, returns. These must take place in a voluntary, safe, and dignified way. To ensure this, the proper political, administrative and security conditions must be in place. An important effort in this regard was the 2020 Sinjar Agreement.  Yet, its implementation has stalled. Sinjar is still without a Mayor, the security force that was meant to be established to gain the trust of the community has not been deployed, and Sinjar still lacks sufficient services and livelihood opportunities.  I acknowledge, and welcome, the conversion of occupancy certificates into official land titles that took place last April, granting many Yazidis formal recognition as landowners for the first time in generations. But many more Yazidis still await the formalization of their land rights.

Let me stress that without stability and security people cannot be expected to return. Also, the ambitious reconstruction projects announced by the government risk remaining on paper, and donors will remain reluctant to invest in Sinjar.  So this is an appeal to Baghdad and Erbil, and Yazidi leaders, to resume cooperation and address the needs of the community, so that those Yazidis wishing to return can do so with real prospects of rebuilding their lives.

Third, justice. Efforts must continue to hold accountable those responsible for the crimes committed by Da’esh, by holding fair trials in Iraq or in other countries through cooperation with the Iraqi judiciary. Trials are important to help survivors to heal. By identifying the individual perpetrators, trials also avoid an entire community from being blamed.  There must be justice, not revenge. And while we wish to see those responsible for atrocities held to account, we should recognize those who took risks to protect their Yazidi neighbours.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me say one word on the role of the United Nations and its continuing support for all survivors.  While UNAMI moves into its final months, the United Nations represented by the UN country team will stay on, working with the Iraqi government, state institutions and civil society to build on the work carried out by UNAMI, in addition to UNITAD, on behalf of justice for the Yazidis.

Today we are renewing our commitment to healing the wounds of the 2014 genocide. This commemoration is not only a solemn act of remembrance, it is a call to action.

Let us confront the past by building a just and inclusive society, in which diversity is a source of richness, not a threat.

The future of the Yazidi community in Iraq is at stake.  And so is the future of Iraq as a pluralistic country in which the human rights of everyone are respected. 

Thank you.