UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy on Wednesday urged the UN team investigating crimes committed by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq to hand over the extremist group's criminal evidence to the Iraqi government as soon as possible as the team's mandate ends in three months.

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The mandate of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/Islamic State (UNITAD) ends on Sept 17, 2024, as decided by the Security Council. China encourages UNITAD to complete its withdrawal in a timely and orderly manner in consultations with the Iraqi government, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Geng Shuang said it is imperative that the team uphold transparency and non-discrimination and obtain prior consent from the Iraqi government before sharing evidence and archives with a third state

"Handing over evidence to the Iraqi government is a priority in the drawdown. We encourage the team to transfer in a systematic way the full set of evidence to the host government without delay," he told the Security Council.

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It is imperative that the team uphold transparency and non-discrimination and obtain prior consent from the Iraqi government before sharing evidence and archives with a third state. Where evidence and archives are already shared with a third state, the team shall inform the Iraqi government promptly, he said.

While the team's mandate is drawing to a close, Iraq remains at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism. The international community must continue to support capacity-building of the Iraqi government in fighting terrorism and its efforts to maintain national security, said Geng.