Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Iraq

Based on our responsibility to provide protection and accountability and to prosecute the perpetrators of such terrible crimes against the people of Iraq, we have adopted a number of practical measures, the most important of which was the signing of the joint communiqué between the Iraqi Government, represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict on 23 September 2016. That represented the beginning of a joint effort of Iraq and the United Nations to address the sexual violence and brutality committed by the terrorist Da’esh organization and to address some of the challenges faced by Iraq in ensuring accountability for such crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice in line with the relevant Iraqi laws. Pursuant to that agreement, Iraq has received international assistance to document and gather evidence of such crimes and strengthen the legal framework, thereby enabling the judicial authorities to find ways to compensate and support the survivors of rape and children conceived as a result.