UK urges renewed witness efforts as 315 remain missing in Iraq-Kuwait cases

The United Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to helping families establish the fate of missing relatives in a statement to the UN Security Council on Iraq and Kuwait, published by the UK government on October 26. Ambassador Kate Foster, the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said Britain would continue working with both countries and the Tripartite Commission.

Foster’s statement put the number of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals still missing at 315. It reported no further identifications since the Secretary-General’s last report, leaving the search for answers unresolved for those families.

The UK expressed support for three bodies working on the cases: the Tripartite Commission, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Secretary-General’s Senior Representative. As a member of the commission, the UK said it supported their efforts to establish what happened to the missing people.

The statement welcomed several practical measures being used in that work: DNA analysis, geospatial tools, changes to the communication strategy and renewed appeals for witnesses. These formed part of the efforts endorsed by Britain at the Council meeting.

Witness testimony remained essential, the UK said, warning that the pool of people potentially able to provide information would shrink over time. It encouraged anyone holding relevant information to come forward and urged continued work to find witnesses and pursue every credible lead.

Britain also asked the Tripartite Commission to agree practical indicators before the Security Council’s review in 2028. The statement said these should help direct the participants’ collective efforts and give them an objective basis for judging progress.

Alongside the missing-persons cases, Foster raised the separate question of Kuwaiti property that remains missing, including the national archives. The UK called for renewed engagement on that issue and for the Joint Committee on missing Kuwaiti property to resume its work.

The UK described the mechanism created by Resolution 2792 as an opportunity to maintain cooperation and strengthen mutual trust. It also welcomed the Senior Representative’s continuing engagement with Iraq and Kuwait, pledging further support for her mandate as efforts to provide answers to families continue.