The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was heralded in Security Council Resolution 1500 adopted on 14 August 2003 as a one-year follow-through mission in the wake of the Oil-for-Food programme handover on 21 November 2003.

In the aftermath of direct attacks on the UN in Iraq and the subsequent evacuation of the UN international staff from Baghdad by November, political and security concerns vis a vis mandate and re-entry were urgently reviewed by the Secretary General. During this period, a core UNAMI forward planning team supported the development of innovative operational options for continued UN involvement in Iraq and established a centralised coordination and information sharing mechanism for the relocated humanitarian community in Amman.