UN assessment: Iraq today is unrecognizable compared to years ago
The UN coordinator in Iraq, Ghulam Ishaq Zai, gave an optimistic assessment of the situation in the country, stressing that Iraq has strengthened confidence in its institutions and is moving steadily towards stability, while noting that the country has become "remarkable and unrecognizable" compared to what it was years ago.
The United Nations website, in a report seen by Shafaq News Agency, stated that Isaac Ze spoke about the transition from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), whose mandate officially ended last December, to a new partnership with the Iraqi authorities focused on development.
The report quoted the UN envoy as saying that "Iraq today is unrecognizable and wonderful, especially for those who lived through the turbulent early years of the transition," noting that a country devastated by war after the 2003 invasion has now succeeded in building confidence in its institutions and is moving towards greater stability.
Ishaq Zee explained that poverty rates in Iraq have decreased from 20% in 2018 to 17.5% during the period 2024-2025, noting that preliminary reports indicate that Iraq now occupies an advanced position in the Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy, education levels and living standards.
The report indicated that the improved security environment helped about 5 million internally displaced people return to their areas, while those who remained in the camps were mostly due to housing or civil identity issues.
The UN envoy also touched on what he described as an "important milestone," namely the parliamentary elections held last year, in which the participation rate reached 56%, an increase of 12% over the previous elections, with a wide participation of women who constituted about a third of the candidates.
According to the report, the UNAMI mission was established in 2003 to assist Iraq in its transitional phase after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. It went through difficult phases that culminated with the control of large areas of the country by ISIS before its defeat at the end of 2017. The mission ended its work on December 31, 2025, while the United Nations will continue its activities in Iraq under the leadership of Isaac Ze.
The report noted that the new phase of cooperation is based on a five-year development agreement, signed with the Iraqi government on December 25, which constitutes a roadmap to support national priorities, including education, health, economic growth, environmental protection and good governance.
The report also quoted Isaac Zee as saying that the current goal of the United Nations is "to support the social and economic needs of Iraq and to build on what has been achieved over the past two decades," noting that Iraq will contribute to financing the implementation of these programs, in an indication of the development of the partnership and the government's shift from the role of aid recipient to partner and supporter.
The report concluded by noting that the United Nations team in Iraq currently includes 26 agencies, funds and programs of the international organization. link