Iraq: Second report of the Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (S/2019/407) [EN/AR]
Letter dated 17 May 2019 from the Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant addressed to the President of the Security Council
I have the honour to transmit herewith, in accordance with paragraph 15 of Security Council resolution 2379 (2017), the second report on the activities of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
I would be grateful if the present letter and the report were brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council and issued as a document of the Council.
(Signed) Karim Asad Ahmad Khan
Special Adviser and Head of the Investigative Team
Second report of the Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
Summary
The second report on the activities of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is submitted pursuant to Security Councilresolution 2379 (2017).
Since its arrival in Iraq on 30 October 2018, the Investigative Team has worked with focus and purpose to operationalize its mandate. Core staffing, facilities and initial evidence collection practices are in place, and initial documentary, digital, testimonial and forensic material is being collected in line with the investigative strategy.
Emphasis has been placed on the forensic analysis of mass grave sites and the exhumation of the remains of victims, with the first set of excavations undertaken in the village of Kojo in Sinjar, north-western Iraq, in March and April 2019. In cooperation with national authorities, the Team has sought to act with urgency in this area in order to secure an important source of evidentiary material and demonstrate its ability to respond rapidly to the clearly expressed needs of survivors and the relatives of victims.
That work has underlined that the delivery of the mandate of the Investigative Team also requires the development of strong partnerships between survivors, local communities and the Government of Iraq in the common pursuit of accountability.
The establishment of the Investigative Team as an independent, impartial, trusted partner for all actors in Iraq, with the capacity to conduct its work in line with international standards, has been central to its ability to harness such collaboration in pursuit of its investigative priorities. On the basis of evidentiary material collected to date, initial analytical outputs are now being produced. In turn, those outputs will inform the ongoing investigative priorities and activities of the Team as it seeks to establish a symbiotic relationship between its investigative and analytical branches.
With a view to ensuring the effective use of evidentiary materials and analyses before national courts, the Investigative Team has held initial discussions with a number of relevant States regarding specific forms of support that it may provide with respect to ongoing domestic proceedings.
As the Investigative Team moves into the fully operational stage of its activities, it faces new challenges. The evolving nature of the evidentiary base, particularly in the light of the disintegration of ISIL as a coherent geographical entity, requires an innovative response. As the range of evidentiary material collected by the Team grows, the need to identify and harness further channels for the effective use of that material in criminal proceedings increases.
In addressing these challenges, the Investigative Team underlines its commitment to delivering on the promise made to victims and survivors through resolution 2379 (2017), while continuing to draw on the continued collective support of the international community.
