According to casualty figures released today by UNAMI, a total of 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in July.

The number of civilians killed was 928 (including 204 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 2,109 (including 338 civilian police). A further 129 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed and 217 were injured.

“The impact of violence on civilians remains disturbingly high, with at least 4,137 civilians killed and 9,865 injured since the beginning of 2013,” the Acting Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Gyorgy Busztin, warned.

“We haven’t seen such numbers in more than five years, when the blind rage of sectarian strife that inflicted such deep wounds upon this country was finally abating. I reiterate my urgent call on Iraq’s political leaders to take immediate and decisive action to stop the senseless bloodshed, and to prevent these dark days from returning.”

Baghdad was the worst-affected governorate in July with 957 civilian casualties (238 killed and 719 injured), followed by Salahuddin, Ninewa, Diyala, Kirkuk and Anbar (triple-digit figures).

Babil, Wasit and Basra also reported casualties (double-digit figures).

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General in a statement urged Iraqi political leaders to address the legitimate grievances of all Iraqi communities by entering into a serious dialogue with a spirit of compromise, and by passing overdue legislation without further delay.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq undertakes monitoring of the impact of armed violence and terrorism on Iraqi civilians in accordance with its mandate.

The remaining category E claim was submitted by the Government of Kuwait on behalf of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, stated a news release issued by the Geneva-based Commission.

In 2000, the claim was awarded $14.7 billion for oil production and sales losses as a result of damages to Kuwait’s oil field assets and represents the largest award by the UNCC’s Governing Council.

With this payment, the Commission has paid out $42.3 billion of its total awarded amount of $52.4 billion to over 100 governments and international organizations for distribution to 1.5 million successful claimants in all claim categories, leaving approximately $10.1 billion remaining to be paid.

Successful claims are paid with funds drawn from the UN Compensation Fund, which is funded by a percentage of the proceeds generated by the export sales of Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products.

The UNCC’s Governing Council has identified six categories of claims: four are for individuals’ claims, one for corporations and one for governments and international organizations, which also includes claims for environmental damage.

The Commission was established in 1991 as a subsidiary organ of the UN Security Council. It has received nearly three million claims, including from nearly 100 governments for themselves, their nationals or their corporations.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body also called on the Government of Iraq to continue to provide security and logistical support to the Mission, and on Member States to continue to provide it with sufficient resources.

Further, the Council decided that the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq and UNAMI shall continue their mandate with regard to overseeing outstanding issues relating to Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The mandate renewal comes amid an upsurge in violence and terrorist acts that have targeted mainly civilians and civilian infrastructure in Iraq, resulting in high civilian casualties at levels not seen since 2008, according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on UNAMI.

“The scale of renewed violence in Iraq during the reporting period is alarming. I again urge political leaders from all sides to intensify their efforts to resolve the continuing political stalemate in accordance with the Constitution, through serious dialogue and with a spirit of compromise, so that no space is left to those who seek to exploit the situation through violence and terror,” he stated in the report.

In this regard, he welcomed recent Iraqi-led dialogue initiatives, as well as the agreement reached between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, which should be implemented swiftly.

“UNAMI stands ready to assist all parties in moving ahead towards national reconciliation,” Mr. Ban added.

A field mission led by the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), UNAMI played a key support role in the process by which Iraqis drafted and adopted a new constitution in 2005, and assisted the country in the holding of two national elections that same year as well as subsequent elections in 2009 and 2010.

The Mission is currently supporting efforts to promote dialogue to resolve Iraq’s disputed internal boundaries, including the future status of the northern city of Kirkuk, and also supporting Iraq’s Parliament, the Council of Representatives, on constitutional issues.

It is also working to promote the establishment of a strong human rights protection system, improve the quality of life in areas such as health, education, water and sanitation, and to assist vulnerable populations including internally displaced persons, refugees, and returnees.

In the latest wave of violence to strike the capital, Baghdad, at least 30 people have reportedly been killed in a series of car bombings on Saturday. The attacks came at the end of the day-long fast Muslims are observing during the month of Ramadan.

Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), condemned “in the strongest terms” these attacks as well as other violent acts that have killed and injured hundreds of innocent people.

“These criminal acts targeting Muslims praying in mosques or gathering after breaking their fast are senseless. The holy month of Ramadan should be a time for spirituality and forgiveness, instead of increasing violence and division,” he stated.

“I am deeply saddened that my last words as the SRSG for Iraq have to be linked to violence and criminal acts,” he added. “I call on all Iraqis not to let violence prevail and to work together toward peace and dialogue, the only sustainable solution.”

Last week, in his final briefing to the Security Council as the UN envoy for Iraq, Mr. Kobler noted an “alarming” scale of renewed violence in the country during the latest four months, with nearly 3,000 people killed and over 7,000 more wounded.

He added that Iraq’s transition towards democracy and prosperity is in a crucial phase, and warned that with violence spiking, perpetrators are taking advantage of the instability caused by the ongoing political stalemate and the crisis in neighbouring Syria.

Mr. Kobler, a German national, will soon take up his new post as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and head of the UN peacekeeping mission there.

“This carnage must stop,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

“I once again urge the Iraqi authorities to do their utmost and take all necessary measures to protect the people of Iraq from more bloodshed,” Mr. Kobler stressed.

Dozens of people were killed yesterday and many others injured in a series of bomb attacks and shootings that seem to have concentrated around public places, such as a crowded market.

Mr. Kobler said the “devastating terrorist attacks” again targeted innocent citizens struggling to build a more hopeful future for themselves and their children in a highly volatile environment.

“They follow two weeks during which we’ve seen an increasing number of attacks targeting cafés, football fields and other locations where people socialize and nurture the personal relationships and social fabric that are so important for a strong, prosperous country,” added Mr. Kobler.

He extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery.

This latest spate of violence comes amid what is considered one of the deadliest streaks on record for the Middle Eastern country, and a reversal in a trend that has seen violence ebb in recent years.

A total of 761 Iraqis were killed and another 1,771 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in June, UNAMI has reported.

Of those killed, 685 were civilians, including 131 civilian police. An additional 76 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were also killed.

Out of the 1,771 wounded, the vast majority – 1,610 including 221 civilian police – were civilians.

Baghdad was the worst-affected governorate with 950 civilian casualties followed by Salahuddin, Ninewa, Diyala and Anbar. Kirkuk, Babil, Wasit, Basra and Najaf also reported casualties, according to the Mission.

In April, 712 Iraqis were killed and more than 1,600 injured. In May, the death toll increased to 1,045 and more than 2,300 were wounded.

In a report issued last week, UNAMI said that at least 3,200 civilians were killed and more than 10,000 injured in during the second half of 2012 in a reversal of the trend that had seen violence decline in recent years.

The report warned that the upturn in armed violence requires greater civilian protection and strengthening of human rights institutions in the country.

“Syria’s neighbors should stop pushing desperate people back to places where their lives are in danger,” said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch. “International donors should help Syria’s neighbors by generously supporting them and humanitarian agencies assisting almost two million refugees.”

HRW which has documented the refugee situation on Syria’s borders says that although Jordan denies it has closed its borders, recently arrived Syrian refugees in Jordan say that Jordanian border guards blocked their and others’ entry for days or weeks in May. Since late 2011, Jordan has prevented Palestinians, Iraqis, single military-aged men, and anyone without identity documents from entering Jordan.

HRW has also found that authorities in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) admit that they closed their border with Syria in May, and that since mid-June only some Syrians in need of emergency humanitarian assistance have been allowed to cross while authorities in central Iraq maintain that they will admit “urgent humanitarian cases” and family reunification cases. But they have severely limited the number of Syrians allowed to enter since August 2012, and new arrivals virtually ceased in late March.

Turkey is blocking the entry of thousands of Syrians at the Bab al-Salam, Atma, and other border crossings with Syria and only sporadically allows small numbers from the Bab al-Salam camp and other displaced Syrian camps in Syria close to the Turkish border to cross into Turkey, with thousands blocked for weeks or months inside Syria, HRW also found.

In October, a senior Turkish official told Human Rights Watch that the country’s refugee camps were full and said that instead of allowing more Syrian refugees to enter, the government was making sure that assistance reached Syrians in areas close to the border.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of mid-June Jordan was hosting over 480,000 Syrian refugees who were either already registered or being registered by UNHCR, while Turkey was hosting over 387,000, and Iraq over 158,000. Lebanon has over 550,000 UNHCR-registered or registering Syrian refugees, adding approximately 10 per cent to its population, while the Lebanese government estimates the number of Syrians in the country at more than one million.

“Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey risk turning Syria into an open-air prison for tens of thousands of Syrians unable to escape the carnage in their country,” Simpson said. “Neither the pressure those countries are under due to rising refugee numbers, nor giving aid inside Syria, can justify violating people’s basic right to seek asylum from persecution and other abuse.”

According to the report, which covers the period from 1 July to 31 December 2012, at least 3,200 civilians were killed and more than 10,000 injured in 2012 in a reversal of the trend that had seen violence decline in recent years. The report warns that the upturn in armed violence requires greater civilian protection and strengthening of human rights institutions in the country.

“The return to high casualty figures means that much more needs to be done to protect civilians,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Martin Kobler.

“We have consistently urged Iraqi leaders to engage in dialogue and develop policies that address the root causes of the problem. Too many innocent lives have been lost,” he said.

The report, produced by the Human Rights Office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in cooperation with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stresses that more needs to be done to ensure financial, medical and other forms of support reach victims of violence.

It also notes that the Iraqi Government has yet to respond to UN and international calls for a moratorium on the death penalty.

“Weaknesses in the criminal justice system mean that the death sentence is often handed down under questionable circumstances in Iraq,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. “With 123 prisoners executed in 2012, there is a great risk that the worst miscarriages of justice imaginable are taking place here.”

The report welcomes progress made to implement the National Action Plan on Human Rights, and a number of laws passed by the Council of Representatives. However, it calls for further efforts to empower the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights and to reduce interference by political blocs.

“Women, minorities, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups in Iraq continue to suffer from discrimination, economic and social barriers, and targeted attacks,” said Ms. Pillay. “I urge the Government of Iraq to do everything possible to implement the recommendations made in this report. Strengthening human rights institutions should be a top priority.”

Kobler added that human rights should be a paramount concern for all members of the Iraqi Government, particularly at a time when citizens need protection.

The report also makes recommendations regarding women and children’s rights, freedom of opinion and expression, and addressing discrimination against ethnic minorities, among other topics.

A wave of deadly bombings struck the capital, Baghdad, Thursday, while the governor of Anbar province reportedly escaped an assassination attempt when bombs exploded near his convoy, injuring four of his bodyguards. This follows a number of bombings in Baghdad on Monday that killed more than 50 people.

Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), condemned the attack against the governor’s convoy.

In a news release issued in Baghdad, he also voiced his dismay at the horrific toll of lives lost following the “new criminal wave of attacks against innocent civilians,” particularly targeting the capital.

“Systemic violence is ready to explode at any moment if all Iraqi leaders do not engage immediately to pull the country out of this mayhem,” Mr. Kobler stated, reiterating the call he made on the country’s leaders earlier this week.

On Wednesday, in an exchange of views with European parliamentarians, Mr. Kobler voiced serious concerns over the heightened level of violence in Iraq and the dangers of the country falling back into sectarian strife, if decisive action is not taken by its political leaders.

“The country stands at a crossroads,” he stated, calling for a stronger European Union role in dealing with the developments unfolding in the country, and for increased interaction with the Iraqi Council of Representatives.

“The residents’ arrival in Albania is an encouraging first step in the relocation of the group of 210 residents the Albanian government has agreed to receive,” said the UN Special Representative for the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Martin Kobler.

More than 3,000 residents, most of them members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran, are temporarily housed in a transit facility called Camp Liberty – also know as Camp Hurriya – while the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) carries out a process to determine their refugee status.

Kobler said that the departure of the group from Iraq is in accordance with the memorandum of understanding of 25 December 2011, which foresees the relocation of the residents to third countries. “I thank the Government of Albania and encourage other Member States to come forward and to receive residents in their countries as well.”

Following the original offer by the Albania Government to assist in the resettlement, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he “unequivocally supports” Kobler’s efforts “to courageously and creatively, in exceptionally difficult circumstances, help resolve this situation.”

In addition, in his recent report about the situation in Iraq, Ban urged those who express support for the residents of Camp Hurriya and the remaining residents of another camp, New Iraq, to stop spreading insults and falsehoods about Kobler and instead help to promote a durable solution.

Following Albania’s announcement, the Government of Germany offered humanitarian admission for approximately 100 residents of the camp.

The stories submitted by Suha Audah, Enas Jabbar and Shatha al-Shabibi were selected by an independent panel for their depiction of women’s situation in Iraq.

Suha Audah’s article describes the pressure of traditional values on women practicing sports in Mosul, Enas Jabbar relates the suffering of women subjected to abduction and Shatha al-Shabibi addresses the sensitive issue of honour crimes, widespread in traditional Iraqi society.

“The selection was difficult since the quality of the articles received was high; most stories portrayed brilliantly the challenges faced by women in Iraq,” said the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs, Gyorgy Busztin, who was a member of the jury.

The three winners received their prizes during a special ceremony organized at the UN Compound on 1 May, as part of a roundtable discussion on women and media to mark World Press Freedom Day.

Ms. Audah, a freelance journalist from Mosul, highlighted the importance of such awards for Iraqi women journalists who are facing several difficulties in their daily work. “Women should be able to impose themselves,” she said. “However, when I claim women’s rights, some people label me as sexist.”

The winning stories were anonymously selected by an independent panel composed of Mr. Busztin, the head of the Public Information Office (PIO), Eliana Nabaa, the Senior Political Advisor to UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and former journalist Hussain Hindawi and the representative for the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women, Frances Guy.