KRG aims to further empower women, says PM Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Vice President and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday said that his cabinet is working to further empower women, citing increased women’s participation in the current Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ninth cabinet.

Barzani’s remarks came on the first day of the ninth congress of the Kurdistan Women’s Union in Erbil, where senior KDP officials, diplomats, and activists attended.

The KDP vice president and Prime Minister Barzani highlighted the “remarkable role” of Kurdish women in Kurdistan, particularly following the 1991 uprising against the former Iraqi Ba’athist regime.

“Increased women's participation in governance is indicative of the KRG's aim to empower women in society,” Barzani said.

He said there has been an increase in the number of women taking senior posts in the ninth cabinet compared to previous cabinets.

The Kurdish leader congratulated the Union on the new congress, hoping the convention would be an opportunity to further develop the establishment.

The Union has recently marked its 71st anniversary. Barzani congratulated the secretariat and Kurdish women on the occasion. 

It was established by a group of Kurdish women in Sulaimani on Dec. 11, 1952, under the supervision of the late Mullah Mustafa Barzani.

The organization played a remarkable role in the Kurdish revolutionary movement in the following years, according to the party officials.