Erbil hosts the 5th Women Leaders for Peace forum 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil on Tuesday is hosting an annual forum attended by high-profile female politicians and civil society representatives on female leadership. 

The 5th Annual Forum Women Leaders for Peace in Kurdistan aims to discuss the state of affairs regarding the leadership role of women in government, parliament, and civil society groups. 

Top female politicians are attending the forum, including the Speaker of Parliament and lawmakers, current and former female ministers in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and representatives of non-governmental organizations. 

Chinar Sa’d, a former KRG minister and one of the event’s organizers, told Kurdistan 24 that when the first forum was held back in 2016, its slogan was: “We do not only want to be watchers.” 

The main aim of the annual forum has been towards “unifying efforts” of women leaders to increase female participation and engagement in peace-building and conflict resolution, Sa’d added. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani recently expressed his hope that the Kurdistan Region “would be a bright example of protecting human rights generally and the elimination of all kinds of violence, particularly GVB (gender-based violence).” 

He made the remarks on Nov. 25 as the autonomous region marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. 

Read More: KRG remains committed to the protection and empowerment of women: PM Barzani

Additional reporting conducted by Renas A. Saeed.