Remarks by the Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iraq, Mr. Peter Hawkins

Commemoration of the 12th Anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide
Erbil, 3 August 2026

 

Your Excellency Mr. Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government,
Your Excellency Mr. Fuad Hussein, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq,
Your Excellency Mir Hazim Tahsin Beg,
Your Excellency Dr. Khalaf Sinjari, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Iraq on Yazidi Affairs,
Distinguished guests and religious leaders,
Above all, members of the Yazidi community, including survivors,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

As we mark the twelfth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, we pay tribute to the courage of all Yazidi people, and especially to the extraordinary courage of the survivors, their families and their communities.

For me personally, this is the third commemoration I have attended. I’ve visited Sinjar twice and was deeply moved by what happened — and, even more importantly, by the need to ensure that such atrocities never happen again.

Over the past 12 years, important progress has been made. I commend the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government for their continued commitment to supporting survivors.

However, there is much more to be done. Today, recovery in Sinjar is entering an important new chapter—one that looks towards sustainable peace and development, creating investment opportunities and ensuring the sustainable delivery of essential services.

In line with the Prime Minister’s pledge, the United Nations is supporting the development of the Sinjar Development and Investment Plan. UNDP, IOM, UN-Habitat, WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF, among others, will continue to reinforce their collective efforts alongside the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to deliver a transformational programme—one that not only remembers and supports survivors but also helps some 200,000 displaced Yazidis return and build a future of peace and prosperity.

The figures are staggering in the first few days approximately 5,000 people were killed; some 6,400 Yazidis—many of them women and girls—were abducted; and around 2,600 remain unaccounted for.

These figures convey the scale of the atrocities, but not the full horror endured by the Yazidi people. Behind every figure is a story that must be told—a story that we must never ever forget.

Their stories must be heard so that we learn from what happened and ensure that it never happens again. Their voices must remain at the heart of our collective efforts to ensure that the Yazidi people can live in peace, dignity, and security.

Thank you.