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.

“Such attacks aim to heighten tensions in this particularly sensitive region, and I call on all people of Iraq to resist vicious attempts to undermine their thrive for peace and stability,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Martin Kobler in a news release.

According to media reports, a suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 100 at a funeral near a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq on Wednesday. The attack reportedly wounded at least two senior Iraqi Government officials.

Mr. Kobler urged all Iraqi leaders to live up to their responsibilities, including “taking all necessary measures to work without delay on defusing such an alarming situation.”

He also expressed his profound sympathy to the families of the victims, to whom he extended his sincere condolences, and wished a speedy recovery for those who were injured.

Over the past month, Mr. Kobler has repeatedly called for an end to violence directly targeting civilians, after a wave of attacks in northern Iraq targeting individuals in crowded areas and the killing of a Member of Parliament who died in a terrorist attack during a demonstration in Fallujah last week.

“I am deeply shocked and utterly dismayed by the despicable attacks across Iraq today that have claimed the lives of scores of Iraqis, including many pilgrims, and have injured dozens more,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Martin Kobler, said in a news release.

“The scale of the violence is disturbing – I urgently appeal to the government to address the root causes of the violence and terrorism that are causing so much suffering and pain to the Iraqi people,” he added.

According to media reports, a wave of bombings across Iraq yesterday killed dozens and wounded hundreds; with many of those killed in the capital, Baghdad, having gathered for a Shia religious festival.

Kobler extended his condolences to the families of those who were killed and his wishes for the speedy recovery of those who were hurt.

Separately, the Special Representative travelled to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on Tuesday, and discussed the current political situation in Iraq with President Jalal Talabani and the President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani.

In his meetings, Martin Kobler encouraged all parties in Iraq to engage in inclusive dialogue and to resolve their differences in accordance with the constitution. “He stressed to his interlocutors that UNAMI stands ready to assist and facilitate. In addition, he expressed his concern that the current political stalemate is diverting attention from pressing economic, social and security issues,” UNAMI said in a news release.