France signed a financing agreement on Tuesday with the United Nations in a bid to bolster Iraq's electoral commission ahead of the country's upcoming elections.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) signed the agreement with the government of France on behalf of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. Under the deal, the UN will manage the financing and administration of the project. UN Iraq Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a release that the agreement “reflects the importance of a concerted international response to Iraq’s electoral needs.”