Shafaq News- Paris

Iraq has secured a new position at UNESCO, with its Permanent Representative to the organization, Asaad Turki Suari, taking the chair of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) for the 2026–2028 term.

In a statement, Iraq’s Permanent Mission to UNESCO said the appointment marks Suari’s eighth position within the organization since he began serving as Iraq’s permanent representative in Paris nearly two years ago.

The new post follows a series of roles Suari has held at UNESCO, including deputy chair of the organization’s 43rd General Conference, representing the Arab Group, and deputy chair of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property. He has also served on several UNESCO Executive Board committees.

His other roles have included membership in the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, the Committee on Non-Governmental Partners, and the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property.

Suari also served as deputy chair of the extraordinary session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention and as a member of the Arab committee established for the Memory of the World Register.