UN pledges to support Iraq with reconstruction

The UN top envoy for Iraq Jan Kubis on Tuesday said the international community must continually support Iraq in rebuilding the country.

Kubis, the special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for Iraq, said the new government of Iraq intends to start rebuilding immediately, particularly on the delivery of services and jobs, on reforming and energizing the economy, fighting corruption and administrative red tape.

The Iraqi parliament elected Barham Salih as the country's new president and confirmed Adel Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister in October, and 14 cabinet ministers were endorsed.

While the government formation process has not been without controversy, "competition and differences have been largely political and not sectarian, and in this way, a break from the past," said Kubis.

Kubis said the government's program outlines specific plans for reforms, investment, and for transitioning Iraq from a crisis context to sustainable development, and it recommends steps to tackle corruption across all sectors, and sets out a framework to guide the planning and work of each ministry.

The program also aims at strengthening security and fighting terrorism. "The new government intends to introduce robust measures to further improve and achieve sustainable security throughout the country, intensifying efforts to uproot Da'esh terrorist cells to counter this insurgency," he said.

"Iraq will require and counts on the continued support of the international community, we must not let them down," Kubis said.