The High Council of Women Development in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI organizes the first KRI 1325 Board meeting in Erbil

Date: Tuesday, 21 June 2022

In collaboration with UNWomen, the High Council of Women Development in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI organized the first KRI 1325 Board meeting in Erbil, to announce KRI 1325 Protection pillar implementation plan of the Second Iraqi National Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. Representatives from Consulates, Embassies, International Organization, and UN Agencies participated in the meeting.

HCWD Secretary-General Dr. Khanzad Ahmed delivered the opening speech at the meeting, she stressed the important role of the KRI board to supervise the implementation of the 1325 KRI plan (2021-2024) within the UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace, and Security. Dr. Ahmad focused in her speech on the CSOs role to support the government during the implementation and monitoring period of the plan as well as the importance to implement the protection pillar plan to provide protection and economic empowerment for women at the camps and women GBV survivors.

Kurdistan Region Minister of Interior Mr. Reber Ahmed the head of KRI 1325 Board, expressed the Kurdish government’s readiness to support implementing the KRI 1325 protection pillar action plan to empower and protect women in all fields, especially women affected by war and violence. He also highlighted the importance of law enforcement and legislation to ensure gender equality all over Iraq to support justice and equality for women and protect Iraqi women from all kinds of violence and discrimination. He further stated that this could be achieved through a participatory process involving governmental and legislative entities, civil societies organizations, and international agencies.

In another topic of his statement, the Minister of Interior said: we have been requesting the international community to provide the financial support in implementing the Yazidi law and fulfilling the promises made by the international community to urge the people to go back to the land of their ancestors, especially in Sinjar who are still living in the in camps for more than eight years.

UN Women Representative for Iraq and Yemen Ms. Dina Zorba underlined the importance of the women, peace, and security agenda under UNSCR 1325 as an essential key pillar of development and stability towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In her speech, she stated that in the past few years, UN Women has been closely working with the Federal and KRI governments and civil society all over the country to advance the WPS agenda and provide protection against violence against women and SGBV. Also, Ms. Zorba mentioned the 19 June mark an important UN day on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Sexual violence is considered a weapon or war and it is very important to continue raising awareness of the need to put an end to this violence, honor the victims and survivors around the world, and to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence.

Additionally, she emphasized the vital role carried out by KRI government entities and women’s civil society organizations in implementing the National Action Plan II (2021-2024) to implement Resolution 1325. Furthermore, she highlighted the UN Women's readiness to support the KRI 1325 board and provide the technical and financial support to the implementation of KRI NAP II action plan.