NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s role in Iraq is shifting from a political mission to a development-focused partnership, the organization’s top official in the country said on Wednesday.
The move reflects what it sees as major improvements in security, governance and economic conditions in the nation after two decades of international engagement.
Ghulam Isaczai, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that Iraq was now “a country at peace, with increased security and a clear determination to win the battle of development.” This echoed remarks by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a recent visit to the country.
Isaczai said Iraq had undergone a “remarkable transformation” over the past 20 years, with growing confidence in state institutions, improved standing in the region, and steady movement toward stability.
Poverty declined from about 20.5 percent in 2018 to lower levels in 2024 (17.5 percent) and 2025, he added, and Iraq’s Human Development Index might have reached a level that qualifies as high human development for the first time in four decades.
