‘We will continue to support women in the Kurdistan Region’, says PM Barzani
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – During an event on the anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution on Women Peace and Security (WPS), SCR 1325, adopted in October 2000, Kurdistan Region PM Masrour Barzani underlined that his government is working to strengthen the role and position of women in government and combat violations of women’s rights.
“I congratulate you once again and assure Kurdistan women that I will always support their legitimate rights according to their abilities,” he said.
“The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is working to further strengthen and develop the role and position of women in government, eliminate all forms of marginalization of women's role in political decision-making and governance, combat violations of women's rights and violence,” he underlined.
Moreover, he said the KRG will continue to provide a favorable environment for Kurdish women to participate equally in state-building, reconstruction, and development of Kurdistan.
Our society will truly reach its full potential when every Kurdistani woman enjoys full rights. pic.twitter.com/F2i1t0nN51
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) October 31, 2023
“At the local level, we are working to enhance their capacity to participate more effectively in the management of institutions,” he said.
Barzani also thanked the High Council for Women and Development, led by its Secretary-General Dr. Khanzad Ahmad, and the UN Commission on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment for organizing the event to mark the anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
During the event, Dr. Khanzad Ahmed also praised the ninth cabinet for supporting women.
“This resolution is one of the most important and historic resolutions of the Security Council, which has had a significant impact on the issue of women in general, especially in countries and regions where there is war and instability and women are the main victims of war,” PM Barzani underlined.
“The main objective behind this decision is to combat and eliminate violence against women during war and promote women's participation in peacebuilding and enable their role in political decision-making and power.”
He added that the KRG will allocate a budget for the implementation of the resolution and UN action plan.
He also added that the Kurdish people have faced many wars, genocides (such as Anfal in the 19080s), military attacks, massacres, and destruction throughout the past century. “Kurdish women have always been the main victims of these wars and attacks.”
He also said that ISIS militants killed thousands of ‘our Yezidi brothers and sisters’ and kidnapped thousands of Yezidis. However, he said that after the liberation of Sinjar, the KRG started a process to free kidnapped Yezidi women from ISIS militants, and the KRG is working on liberating the rest.
“On this occasion, we emphasize the importance and necessity of implementing the Sinjar Agreement in order to end the state of emergency and instability in the Sinjar region and the illegal armed groups to leave the area so that the refugees in the area return to their places.”
He also underlined that “Kurdistan women have always played a prominent and leading role in the history of our people” and added that after the March uprising in 1991, that women played an important role in the political process and governance.
“We in the Kurdistan Region, as a federal entity within Iraq, are committed to implementing Resolution 1325 and in this context, we will work to implement what falls on us. However, implementing this decision is a shared responsibility and requires cooperation, coordination, and unification of efforts from all of us.”
“I congratulate you once again and assure Kurdistan women that I will always support their legitimate rights according to their abilities,” he concluded.
