UN chief to visit Iraq, Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, is expected to visit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region by the end of this week, Kurdistan 24 has learned from an informed source.

The UN chief will meet with top Iraqi and Kurdish officials during his visit on Wednesday and Thursday, the source told Kurdistan 24 on the condition of anonymity.

Kurdistan 24 contacted the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for confirmation, but it declined to comment on the subject.

In 2017, the UN's top leader visited Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, where he visited one of the internally displaced people (IDP) camps in the western Erbil province.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and President Nechirvan Barzani together met with Guterres on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last year in Germany.

Prime Minister Barzani hailed the role of the international organization in helping the unprivileged communities, particularly the Kurdish people during challenging times.

“The UN helped feed the hungry, put our children back in school, restocked our hospitals, and restored water and electricity,” the premier said in a statement, highlighting the organization’s contributions to the Kurdish people after the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 1992.

In addition to UNAMI, the organization’s several other agencies operate in the Kurdistan Region in various sectors, including health, development, migration, and refugees.