The conference, initiated by France, rose from a large-scale threat by Islamic State jihadists. Representatives will hear reports by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Iraq’s neighboring countries. France initially wanted to invite Iran, but US officials objected.

In a statement issued on Sunday with the consensus of 15 members, the UN Security Council called the beheading of British aid worker David Haines "despicable and senseless". The statement called for respect of aid workers in combat zones, stressing that it’s time to defeat of Islamic State militants and stop their hostile actions. It urged the IS and terrorist groups connected to Al Qaeda to immediately and unconditionally set its hostages free.