Welcome
Luise Amtsberg, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Foreign Office, prior to her trip to Iraq
Luise Amtsberg, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Foreign Office, is travelling to Iraq to hold talks and visit local projects. She issued the following statement prior to her departure:
Opportunities and challenges are closer together in Iraq than almost anywhere else in the Middle East. Ten years after the invasion of the so-called Islamic State and the genocide against the Yazidi community, Iraq is experiencing a phase of relative stability but in an environment of complex regional tensions.
The repercussions of the war which the so-called Islamic State brought upon the entire region are still felt today. We are committed to fostering the country’s stability, enabling internally displaced persons to return and promoting reconstruction. Our number-one priority is to ensure that the Yazidis can live in dignity and security in Iraq. The crimes of the so-called Islamic State must be further prosecuted and investigated. Respect for human rights, such as the rights of women and minorities or freedom of the press, is imperative and also a prerequisite for social reconciliation and durable peace.
There are around 1.2 million internally displaced persons living in Iraq today. Following the Iraqi Government’s decision to close refugee camps, many people are faced with existential questions. Ten years after the genocide, Sinjar – the home region of the Yazidis – is still not safe. Militia and attacks by regional players are destabilising the area. What is more, the region remains contaminated with mines. The German Government’s main concern continues to be the reconstruction and the inclusive implementation of political solutions, for instance the Sinjar Agreement, with the active involvement of all parties concerned. The German Government supports the central Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government as they tackle these key challenges.
Background information
Luise Amtsberg, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Foreign Office, is travelling to central and northern Iraq.
She will meet members of the central Iraqi Government, Parliament as well as civil-society organisations and will focus on freedom of the press and opinion, as well as the situation of minorities and women’s rights. Furthermore, visits to projects aimed at reconstruction and at addressing the reign of terror of the so-called Islamic State are planned.
In northern Iraq, Luise Amtsberg will, among other things, talk to members of Yazidi civil society and representatives of the Kurdistan-Iraq Regional Government about how to create prospects for survivors and internally displaced persons and visit projects.