Thank you Mr. President
I want to begin with thanking Ms. Rita Izsak, UN Special Rapporteur, for giving me the
opportunity to convey the suffering of my people.
Yazidi religious minority group is the indigenous people who lived in the plain of Mesopotamia.
As you know, this religious minority group has experienced a genocide inflicted by the Islamic
State known as (ISIS) in August 2014. The whole world has been a witness on the horror of
crimes perpetrated against a non-missionary religious minority group only calls for peace, and
coexistence within a framework of tolerance. These horror practices have taken its toll on the
Yazidi people, where thousands of families (Yazidi, Christian, Turkman, Shabq, and Shiite)
suffered killings, captivity, expulsion and forced displacement to Kurdistan, South Iraq, and the
neighboring countries like Syria, Turkey and Greece. They suffer a disastrous situation where
adverse climatic conditions and scarce food resources put their lives on stake. The alarming
figures are on the rise and reflect an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Of 600 thousand Azidis live in
Iraq, 400 thousand were displaced. 8100 persons were in captive by Isis. 1700 Yazidi men and
elderly women were killed while 6400 remain in captivity. To date, 2754 were freed from
captivity: 998 females, 327 men and 1429 children. Till present, up to 1834 females and 1825
males remain in captivity by Isis.
Getting back to the theme of the session entitled, “recovering from crisis”, I would like to
address this question;
How could Azidis return to their homes and lead a peaceful life in a place that was overnight
surrounded by Isis who committed genocide against us because of our identity?
Mr. President,
Providing a suitable environment is the only guarantee to a safe return, and that requires the
following:
First: Creating two governorates: Sinjar and Nineveh for Yazidis and Christians as well as
other minorities to self-rule themselves with the support of the international community and
under international protection since those minorities weren’t in charge of their affairs when they
endured annihilation.
Second: ordering immediate reconstruction to the devastated areas of minority groups, and
earmarking necessary fund through convening a conference sponsored by granting states and
decision makers in aid of Azidi people. For example, Sinoni district and its residential