Threats to International Peace and Security (Investigative Team UNITAD)

BRIEFING ON UN INVESTIGATIVE TEAM TO PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CRIMES COMMITTED BY DA’ESH/ISLAMIC STATE IN IRAQ AND THE LEVANT (UNITAD)
 
Madam President,
Let me first join others in congratulating you on assuming the Presidency of the Council and to assure you of our full support during the month of December. I thank Special Adviser Christian Ritscher for the presentation of the ninth report on the activities of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which reflects the progress made by the Investigative Team during the reporting period in the ongoing investigations. My delegation would also like to welcome the Permanent Representative of Iraq to today’s meeting. The report we have received today highlights the systematic manner in which ISIL has committed horrendous atrocities against diverse populations, ethnic and religious groups, military cadets, and important cultural heritage. These atrocity crimes committed by ISIS are undeniably of serious concern to the international community, endangering the region and the world’s peace, security, and well-being. The culprits must be held fully and properly accountable for their actions, including listing them under the 1267 sanction regime. Accountability for all atrocities and crimes committed in Iraq is crucial. The quest for accountability will contribute to reconciliation and long-term peace.
 
As this Council has repeatedly stated, pursuing justice and seeking redress for victims of ISIL’s heinous international crimes is a collective duty we owe to international justice and to humanity. Any failure on our part to establish meaningful accountability for ISIL’s atrocities will only undermine the global fight against terrorism, thereby diminishing the aspirations of victims and survivors for justice. We must not allow this to happen. Ghana holds the view that maintaining the momentum in the global response to accountability for atrocities committed by ISIL is crucial if we are to deal decisively with the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism. Although pursuit of accountability and justice is a painstaking process, Ghana is encouraged by the significant progress that the Team continues to make towards bringing ISIL perpetrators to justice. We are particularly pleased to note that during the reporting period, the Team continued to intensify its focus on transitioning from investigation to building targeted case-files focused on individual perpetrators, including through capacity-building efforts.
 
This phase in the work of UNITAD is crucial if we are to advance delivery of UNITAD’s mandate and move the accountability process forward, through the transfer of evidence gathered by the Team to Iraqi authorities and subsequent prosecution of individuals responsible for international crimes. We also welcome the progress made across all investigative lines of inquiry during the reporting period, particularly, the completion of a first case assessment focused on crimes committed by ISIL against the Christian community in Iraq, as well as deeper insights into the development and use of chemical and biological weapons. These developments, while attesting to the commitment of the Team, are critical to the evidence-gathering process in support of domestic investigations and prosecutions that can deliver justice to the victims and survivors. In this context, we look forward to the completion of the case assessment reports on the destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL in Iraq, ISIL leadership and hierarchical structure in Mosul and Tal Afar, as well as crimes committed by ISIL against other communities in and around Sinjar, during the next reporting period.
 
Madam President,
UNITAD’s commitment to enhanced cooperation and improved informationsharing with the Government of Iraq remains vital to the implementation of its mandate. We applaud the Team for its continued cooperation with the Iraqi authorities, including through capacity-building efforts for the Iraqi judiciary, collaboration in areas of digitisation of evidence, DNA forensics, mass grave excavations and ongoing engagements on a draft framework for UN sanctions listing. The successful implementation of UNITAD’s mandate depends on the level of support and buy-in the Team receives from the Iraqi people, and we encourage the Team to continue to sustain the healthy cooperation and coordination that has characterised its relationship with the Iraqi political and judicial authorities.
 
In a similar vein, we would like to emphasize that any comprehensive attempt to establish global accountability for the crimes perpetrated in Iraq must continue to include UNITAD’s cooperation with other Member States. In this regard, we urge the Team to build on its accomplishments and continue to improve how it supports domestic processes around the world. In addition, the work of UNITAD is contingent on the Council’s continued support. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep up our efforts to mobilize the international community to sustain its involvement in the pursuit of accountability, which includes providing essential assistance to UNITAD.
 
In conclusion, allow me to reiterate Ghana’s support for the work of UNITAD under the leadership of Special Adviser Christian Ritscher, as well as our expectations for the successful implementation of the Team’s mandate, which is critical to delivering justice for the victims and genuine national reconciliation. This will require political willpower and sustained international support. Iraq can count on Ghana’s support.
 
I thank you.