Committees' recent meetings - 1 December 2020

A summary of Kurdistan Parliament's committees' recent meetings and activities: 

Martyrs’ Affairs, Genocide and Political Prisoners Committee

26 November - The committee, led by chair Sawsan Muhammad Mirkhan (KDP), held their usual meeting.

The MPs discussed their recent meeting with the Peshmerga Affairs Minister to look into protests by families of Peshmerga soldiers killed in the war against ISIS, about a foreign NGO’s donation of old clothes, which was viewed as offensive.

The committee decided to invite the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs to increase their coordination and investigate the distribution of aid to martyrs’ families, as the ministry no longer allows the distribution of old items to martyrs’ families.

The committee also decided to formally send a letter to the KRG office for NGOs calling on it to improve its oversight of NGOs whose remit is to help martyrs’ families.

The MPs discussed Parliament Presidency’s appointment of a committee to investigate the sale and purchase of land allocated to martyrs’ families.

Education, Higher Education, and Scientific Research Committee

29 November - The committee, led by the chair Abdusalam Dolarami (KDP), held their regular meeting.

The MPs decided to ask the ministers for education and higher education to explain their plans for continuing the education process in the current coronavirus pandemic, and the committee will suggest to the ministries that the academic year should begin next week.

The meeting covered: the reduced numbers of students at universities and institutes; reduction of tuition fees at private universities, institutes and public universities offering private places; and what decisions should be made regarding the college of health sciences, 240 students of the private American Stratford University, and the financial rights and allowances of lecturers.

The committee has prepared a project for the children of martyrs, Anfal victims and political prisoners, and for the top three university graduates. The MPs decided to discuss that project, as well as the issue of the 12th grade (final) high school exams in all districts of Kurdistan, with the relevant ministries at their next meeting.