On International Women's Day, UK diplomat in Erbil invites young women to spend the day at consulate

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – To mark International Women’s Day on Sunday, Mel Smart, the British Deputy Consul General in Erbil, invited young women in the Kurdistan Region to join her at the consulate for one day to learn about the UK mission's work in Kurdistan Region.

“We would like to celebrate by offering young Kurdish ladies between the ages 16 to 18 the opportunity to come and spend the day with me, shadowing me in the job to see what the British government contributes in this region,” said Smart in a video (below) shared on the Consulate's Facebook page.

“If you would like to participate,” she continued, addressing secondary school-aged girls directly, “please comment, 20 words or less, what your vision is for young Kurdish ladies in this region.”

Occurring annually on March 8, International Women’s Day celebrates the ongoing struggle for women’s rights and equality worldwide.

In observance of the occasion, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani acknowledged in a statement “the historic role women played in securing Kurdistan’s freedom” and said that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “highly values the role of women in the Kurdistan Region, particularly those who have served in the Peshmerga, and who fought bravely against ISIS.”

On last year's International Women's Day, a Kurdish woman living in the UK became the first to be recognized as one of Great Britain's top female innovators in the 2019 Women in Innovation Awards.

Read More: Kurdish woman recognized as one of UK’s top women innovators

Dr. Fanya Ismail, who left the Kurdistan Region in 1995 for the UK, was given the prize to “celebrate the achievements of pioneering female inventors” after a nationwide search by the British government for her work in helping reduce waste, particularly in the production of plastic coffee cups which can be hard to recycle.

Editing by John J. Catherine