UK hails KRG efforts to foster coexistence, religious peacebuilding: Envoy

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Kingdom commends the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) efforts to strengthen coexistence and religious peacebuilding, a British envoy to Iraq’s Kurdish region said on Thursday.

The remarks by Jamie Hamill, acting British Consul General in Erbil, came during the first-year anniversary of adopting the Regional Action Plan for Human Rights in the Kurdish capital, where top government officials, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and representatives of international and local organizations attended.

“The UK commends the KRG’s continued efforts to foster coexistence and religious peacebuilding,” Hamill said in a speech.

The diplomat highlighted the UK and Kurdistan Region’s mutual respect for freedom of religion, recalling the conference London hosted in July on freedom of religion or belief, in which the Kurdish representatives took part.

Promoting and protecting religious freedoms is part of the government’s five-year plan for human rights.

In his speech, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani reiterated his government’s commitment to promoting the culture of religious and ethnic coexistence. He also expressed that the Region is “fully committed” to the international standards of human rights.

Adopted in 2021, part of the Plan has been implemented through legislation, Barzani noted, adding the scheme is part of his government’s reform program.

The Plan, which is now in its implementation phase, was developed in cooperation between the Kurdistan Region’s government, parliament, judiciary, and international organizations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and the Erbil-based diplomatic missions.

“It is an important blueprint for bridging the gap between international conventions, important universal rights and values, and the everyday lives of the Kurdistan Region population,” Hamill added, extending his country’s congratulations to the Region’s officials for the “detailed and comprehensive” plan.

The Plan is a "concrete framework" that supports the KRG's efforts to uphold its domestic and international obligations, Danielle Bell, Chief of the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assitance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said in her speech. 

She commended the Kurdistan Region's "continuous support" for human rights work.