ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A United Nations conference on the repatriation of persons from Syria’s al-Hol camp was held in New York on Friday, with top Iraqi and UN officials highlighting Baghdad’s repatriation initiatives and calling on the international community to repatriate their nationals.

In an opening speech, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid stated that the conference was organized to underscore “the importance of relocating and repatriating all families and detainees to their countries of origin,” calling on states to put an end “to this inhumane chapter.”

Rashid called on the international community to address the condition in the camps, arguing that they no longer merely constitute a regional issue, but rather they “affect international peace and security.”

The Iraqi president said the camp currently holds around 10,000 suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants from six different countries, noting that 34 countries have already repatriated all their nationals from al-Hol.

Over the years, Iraq has repatriated 4,915 families, comprising 18,880 individuals from al-Hol camp, of which 3,407 families, comprising 12,557 individuals, have been returned to their original places of residence, according to Rashid.

“Our aim is to reintegrate [the returnees] into their communities… ensuring them a safe future and a dignified life in their countries,” Rashid asserted.

“Iraq reaffirms that it will remain committed to working with all regional and international partners to achieve the shared goal of closing al-Hol camp, and protect future generations from the threat of extremism and terrorism, and turn this case from human tragedies to a success story of international solidarity and joint work,” he concluded.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that the camp “constitutes a societal, humanitarian and security threat in the region,” urging the UN and member states to undertake necessary procedures to repatriate and rehabilitate their nationals to “prevent any relapse.”

Speaking as the representative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Guy Ryder, undersecretary general for policy at the UN, stated that the camps have become a site of “acute human suffering, persistent human rights violations and heightened security risks.”

Thousands of suspected ISIS members and their families are held at al-Hol and other camps in northeast Syria, often referred to as a “ticking time bomb” by Iraqi authorities.

Ryder urged UN member states to “urgently repatriate their nationals,” and reiterated the UN’s commitment to supporting the states in the “repatriation, prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration” efforts for their returned nationals.

Located in northern Syria’s Hasaka province, al-Hol houses around 40,000 ISIS-affiliated individuals from over 60 different nationalities.

Iraq has repatriated over 15,000 of its nationals from the camp over the years — more than any other country- and aims to complete repatriation by the end of 2025. The camp reportedly still holds over 13,000 Iraqis.