KRG MoLSA Discusses Policy Options for Women's Inclusion in Labor Market

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) hosted a policy session in Erbil on Sunday, bringing together government institutions, employers, and workers' organizations to discuss measures for expanding women's participation in the labor market, according to a statement from the KRG Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. 

Deputy Minister and Undersecretary Zakia Said Salih chaired the gathering, held under the title "Evidence-Based Policy Options for Women's Economic Inclusion in the Kurdistan Region." The session was convened as part of the Inclusive Employment Platform (IEP), a biannual forum that dedicates each meeting to a specific policy challenge facing the region's workforce, according to the ministry’s press release. 

Participants reviewed the findings of a report produced with support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the German development agency, before turning to a broader exchange on potential policy responses. Discussions centred on structural barriers limiting women's access to employment, including gaps in information and skills development, transport constraints, workplace conditions, and the burden of care responsibilities.

The session closed with institutions agreeing on a set of priority actions. Deputy Minister Salih reaffirmed the KRG's MoLSA commitment to inclusive employment policies and to sustaining coordination through the platform.

The IEP was launched in 2024 and is chaired by KRG's MoLSA. The GIZ-implemented EPSI project serves as the platform's secretariat, with the International Labor Organization (ILO) acting as its principal technical partner. The platform's mandate is to advance evidence-based policymaking on inclusive employment across the Kurdistan Region.

Read More: KRG Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs launches Inclusive Employment Platform