Paris Conference on Iraq

Paris Conference on Iraq
Name	Paris Conference on Iraq
Date	2026
Location	Paris
Venue	Élysée Palace
Organizers	France, United Nations
Participants	Iraq, United States, United Kingdom, European Union
Outcome	Multilateral declarations, reconstruction pledges, coordination framework

Paris Conference on Iraq The Paris Conference on Iraq convened in Paris at the Élysée Palace under the auspices of France and the United Nations with delegations from Iraq, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, regional actors and international institutions. The meeting sought to coordinate reconstruction, governance support, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance following the Iraq War era and subsequent conflicts involving Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while engaging organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Arab League. High-level participants included heads of state, foreign ministers, and leaders from the United Nations Security Council, NATO, and development banks to align pledges with frameworks like the Geneva Conventions and the Paris Agreement-style coordination. The conference emphasized multilateralism, drawing on precedents such as the London Conference on Libya (2011), the Donor Conference for Syria, and the Madrid Conference tradition.

Background and objectives

The Conference built on antecedents including post-conflict forums such as the Bonn Conference (2001), the Annapolis Conference (2007), and the Baghdad Conference processes, responding to destabilization linked to groups like Al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and regional tensions involving Iran, Turkey, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Objectives framed by hosts Emmanuel Macron and António Guterres (Secretary-General of the United Nations) included reconstruction financing via the World Bank, governance reforms inspired by models from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, security sector reform with advice from NATO, and humanitarian coordination with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and United Nations Children's Fund. The agenda referenced legal instruments such as the United Nations Charter and security arrangements informed by the Iraq–US Status of Forces Agreement legacy.

Participants and organizers

Organizers combined state actors and institutions: France, the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. State participants included delegations from Iraq, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, and representatives from the United Nations Security Council permanent and elected members. Non-state and multilateral participants included the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, the United Nations Development Programme, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Arab League. Key individuals present ranged from heads of state to ministerial figures with ties to prior diplomacy such as Tony Blair-era envoys, former UNAMI advisers, and representatives from the European Commission.

Agenda and key topics

The agenda mirrored post-conflict priorities: financing reconstruction through mechanisms like trust funds used in the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund precedent; security cooperation targeting counterterrorism networks and border management with proposals involving Interpol and NATO assistance; governance initiatives concerning elections and anti-corruption drawn from Transparency International benchmarks; energy sector rehabilitation referencing OPEC dynamics and agreements with multinational corporations like TotalEnergies and BP; and humanitarian response coordination aligned with UNHCR and World Food Programme logistics. Sessions addressed legal accountability with links to international jurisprudence such as the International Criminal Court, cultural heritage protection invoking UNESCO conventions, and infrastructure rehabilitation synergizing with development banks including the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank.

Outcomes and declarations

Participants issued a joint declaration endorsing a coordinated finance and technical assistance framework that committed pledges from sovereigns and institutions, echoing instruments like the 1992 Earth Summit financing concept. Outcomes included the establishment of a multilateral coordination mechanism hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, a stabilization fund modeled on past instruments such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, and security cooperation arrangements to share intelligence among Interpol, CENTCOM, and regional partners. Declarations reaffirmed support for Iraqi sovereignty under the Iraqi Constitution, commitments to electoral assistance from the European Commission and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division, and cultural protection measures in line with UNESCO lists. Several bilateral memoranda of understanding were signed with corporations and development banks including TotalEnergies, Siemens, ExxonMobil, and the Islamic Development Bank for energy, water, and transport projects.

Reactions and impact

Reactions ranged from endorsement by actors such as the European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council members to cautious statements from Iran and domestic commentary within Iraq's Council of Representatives. Civil society organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urged stronger human rights conditionalities, while humanitarian NGOs like Médecins Sans Frontières highlighted gaps in immediate relief financing. Financial markets and commodity traders reacted to energy pledges, affecting companies listed on exchanges such as the Euronext and New York Stock Exchange. Regional capitals including Ankara, Riyadh, and Tehran assessed diplomatic implications relative to their strategic interests and proxy dynamics exemplified previously in the Syrian Civil War and the Yemeni Civil War.

Follow-up and implementation efforts

Follow-up mechanisms included scheduled reviews by the United Nations Security Council working groups, donor coordination meetings patterned after the London Conference on Libya (2011) monitoring, and reporting obligations to the World Bank board. Implementation will involve Iraqi ministries in conjunction with technical partners like the United Nations Development Programme, International Monetary Fund program surveillance, and oversight from donor constituencies represented in a steering committee similar to structures used in post-conflict reconstruction in Kosovo and East Timor. Civil society and international monitors such as Transparency International were invited to participate in anti-corruption oversight, while bilateral partners pledged timelines for tranche disbursements mirroring conditionality frameworks used by the International Monetary Fund.

Category:International conferences